Family That Never Was
by TheTwins1-2
Summary: Sanctuary's a world where one can make a new life after death, Rei is no exception. Finally having a chance to make her mark on the world, she and Zen takes brave steps towards the future. But the existence of one robot could just throw all that into doubt... Or will it? *Sanctuary AU *All the Spoilers *Minor Crossover *P3 & P4 Cast *Minor Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Family
1. Chapter 1: Peace of Mind

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

The golden rays of a Friday afternoon bathed the Capital, keeping its inhabitants in a warm mood. Even in the ratty apartments between the residential and industrial districts, the people are in higher spirits. More so for those students of the University of Sanctuary, finally earning a break from hectic school work.

In apartment 401, a dark skinned young man sits upon a worn couch, pale lime colored eyes moving across the words of an electrical engineering textbook. The dull ticks of the hand built clock on the wall rhythmically resounding throughout the room. It was all still and silent… Until…

"I'm home!" A voice rang out.

A bubbly blonde haired girl leapt into the room, a book bag in one hand, and a bag of take out in the other. "Welcome back Rei." The young man greeted, not taking his eyes off the book. "You having fun there Zen?" Rei asked, looking over his head. Putting down his book, Zen looked up at Rei, placing his hand against her cheek. "I am, now that you're here." Zen replied with a soft smile. With a small kiss upon placed upon Zen's lips, Rei then walked around and sat down upon the couch. "So, you know what today is?" Rei asked. "Of course, how can I forget? Happy anniversary Rei." Zen replied, embracing the Rei. "Happy anniversary to you too Zen." Rei replied, kissing his cheek.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't get you a gift this year again. I just didn't have the money to spare." Zen said sadly. "Shhh… It's okay, you're everything I ever need. And I know you'll keep your promise, this ring is proof of that." Rei said softly, raising her hand to gaze at the gold ring around her finger.

Crude and dull, the gold ring is nothing like anything jewelers would sell. But despite not having much monetary value, it means so much more to Rei. From gold mined straight out of the Earth, Zen smelted it down and forged the ring to the best of his abilities. And though rough around the edges, despite his best efforts at smoothing it, Zen proposed to Rei with it and she accepted. And with the promise of a true storybook wedding someday in the future, both of them, hand in hand, moved onward to live a new life after death on this strange world called Sanctuary.

"Of course. After all I put you through, I owe you at least that much. So I'll make sure to make you smile on that day and the days to come." Zen answered, holding Rei closer to him. "You don't owe me anything Zen. But I'll make sure you'll be smiling too, because I owe you that much for everything you have done for me. I love you Zen." Rei replied. "And I love you Rei." Zen said, bringing his lips to Rei's.

And the two stayed as they were for the rest of the day, slowly drifting into sleep in each other's arms. Time passed peacefully for the two, undisturbed as the roaches ate well that night…

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 1, the first step to a new fan fiction.**

 **What do you think of it so far. I know it's the first chapter, but give me a heads up on the good and bad of this one.** **For those who have come here from my previous stories, your comments are especially important as I can gauge my growth as a writer.**

 **It's the question that I really want to know the answer to, am I improving? By saying yes or no and why, it would make me excited and it would help improve the experience of this story for everyone.**

 **So please, leave your questions, comments, and concerns in the review box, it's that important to me.**

 **Until next time. T1.**


	2. Chapter 2: Calm Morning

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

Rei's eyes slowly fluttered open, feeling both the stiffness in her body and the warmth of Zen's body. "Mugh…?" Rei groan as she slowly began stretching her body. "Hmm? Oh, good morning Rei." Zen greeted, slowly waking up.

"Good morning to you too sleepy head."

"Looks like we forgot about our dinner yesterday…" Zen commented, staring at the roach covered take out bag from the previous day. "Awww, I spend good money on that… Now we got to clean all that up." Rei said, staring at the bag and bugs. "I'll take care of it… Just stand back." Zen replied, focusing on the insects.

It's been a while since he utilized what remains divine powers from his days as Chronos, seeing that he had few uses for them. However, there were times where those lost powers could come in handy and was worth the effort to actually use. And to actually use them involved chanting an incantation, which leads back to the reason why Zen doesn't utilize these powers that often.

"Chronos, governor of time, I call to you. Still the seconds against my foes, turn their selves to that of stone. Let the hours pass as dawn turns to dusk, never giving a single moment to those who oppose us. Let the years wear away, let the decades turn to millennia, and have eternity embrace any and all that enter our gaze." Zen chanted. The roaches then stopped their unpredictable movement, staying completely still as if they were suddenly frozen or killed.

"Rei, could you get me the broom, dust-pan, and a plastic bag? I'm going to boil us some tea." Zen asked, putting a small kettle on a hand built hot plate.

With a skip, Rei fetched the items in question and handed them over to Zen. "Well, I'm going to take a bath. Hope there is enough hot water for both of us." Rei said, going into the small bathroom behind the door in the corner. With the pan and broom, Zen began sweeping up the still frozen roaches into the bag before throwing away the tainted food and tying the bag tightly so that nothing got out. "That will hold them… Wonder what else was affected?" Zen thought as he began looking around the apartment.

"Zen, is there anything we need while we're out?"

"No, don't think so. None of our food has got pests in it. We don't need new clothes yet…" Zen answered. "Nonsense! We have a few coins to spend on a few new things! And we need to get you something else to wear besides that cloak of yours!" Rei yelled. "Well I suppose I could use a few more tools – Wait, what's wrong with my cloak?" Zen mumbled before shooting out his question.

"It kind of scares people. And I don't want them thinking that you are some kind… Grim reaper or something."

"But technically that's who I am…"

"Not the point. We're getting you something nice to wear. Something that doesn't scream 'I am here for your soul'. God knows how many people you accidentally scared..." Rei replied, leaving the bathroom with a towel around her body. "I see… I'll make note of that." Zen noted, writing in his pocketbook.

"Ugh! Drying my hair is getting ridiculous! Should I get it cut?" "That depends on you. If it's getting bothersome, just cut it." Zen answered. "You won't miss the cascading golden silk that wraps around my perfect little body?" Rei asked almost seductively. "I'll certainly miss it… But I'm sure whatever the length or style is, I'll still love you with everything I have." Zen said with a smile. "Oh Zen… Come on, go take a bath. We have a long day today." Rei replied, getting changed.

"Tea should be ready. Let's head out, get something to eat, and get our shopping done when I'm out."

"Okay, I'll be waiting…"

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 2. I keep forgetting how slow the view count is for every new Fan Fiction that is posted. But I have faith that this story will pick up eventually. And even if it doesn't get any views, I'll finish and post the story because I'm a writer.**

 **Still, it would be nice if I could get some feedback as how I'm doing. So please, leave your questions, comments, and concerns in the drop box and I will try to make things more enjoyable for everyone.**

 **Also, before the next update, take a look at the story of Persona Q as there are pieces of it are mentioned in this Fan Fiction. Q isn't the best game out there, but it certainly isn't the worse and it at least deserves to be checked out.**

 **That is all I have to say this week. So...**

 **Until next time. T1.**


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting Again

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

It has been several hours since Zen and Rei left their ratty apartment. And over the course of their time, they had breakfast at a hole in the wall diner, which served pretty good scrambled eggs despite the bacon looking like strips of leather. The Capital outskirt plaza market was Zen and Rei's primary destination as it is where they get most of their goods for a decent price. It's normally very crowded, but because of Zen's imposing appearance and steely glare, the crowd stays away from the two, allowing them to move more freely than others. However, despite the long time spend there, they were unable to buy anything other than a few small tools for Zen's constructions and some sketching paper for Rei's drawings.

"It's really busy today. Do you think there is a sale somewhere?" Rei asked, standing up on a barrel.

"Probably. But I'm sure that every day there is some sort of sale here." Zen answered.

"Hmmm…" Rei groaned as she continued to scan the crowd.

It was then that, through the sea of heads, two stood out to her. One had a lengthy blue do covering half his face, and the other had a grey bowl cut upon his noggin. As Rei continued to stare at those two, a smile began forming upon her face as her brain slowly recognized just who those styles belonged to.

"Rei? Why are you smiling? Did you spot something you would like?" Zen asked, clueless at her discovery.

"ZEN! ZEN! I FOUND THEM!" Rei yelled, leaping down from the barrel excitedly.

"Who is…!?" Zen began before being dragged off at an impressive speed.

Rei, like a shark through water, began to glide through the sea of people towards the two. Her feet hitting the ground the hard and pushing her forward even harder. And even through the noise around her, Rei could hear the two as if the plaza was completely empty except for those two people. Their voices ring loudly and clearly in Rei's ears as she got closer and closer.

"Again I ask, why did we decide to go to the very last stop?" One of them asked.

"Sense of adventure. Oh hey, they're selling jerky on the cheap. Want some?" The other answered simply before looking at one of the stands.

"How about… No." The first said flatly.

"Your loss, I'll take all of it." The other replied, facing the vendor.

"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Rei shouted at the top of her lungs.

As the two turned to face the shouting before being tackled by the blonde bullet, knocking them both to the ground as Rei landed on top of the two. Zen, before falling face first into the pavement, deftly rolled back onto his feet and looked at the two people his fiancé had just knocked down. And once he did, his eyes widened in recognition as those familiar faces are two people of the many that he and Rei owed their lives to.

"Yu-chan! Mina-chan! It's been such a long time!" Rei said, hugging the two tightly.

"Ease up… Can't breathe…" Minato gasped painfully.

"I'm dying... Again…" Yu added.

"Sorry, I got too excited." Rei said, letting the two go.

After a quick fit of coughing, Yu and Minato looked at the girl who unceremoniously tackled and hugged them, only to have recognition dawned on their faces.

"Rei?" Minato asked in slight disbelief.

"Oh my god it is!" Yu replied.

"It's been a while! How have you been!?" Minato asked, trying to maintain his stoic attitude but failing.

"Where's Zen!? Is he here!? He has to be here!" Yu added.

"Present." Zen answered with a small smile.

"Oh man… This is just a lot to take in…" Minato mumbled.

"Then let's catch up over a coffee or three. Zen and I know a place close by that serves great coffee, even though it's kind of like a sewer." Rei suggested happily, getting off the ground.

"Sounds great, lead the way." Yu replied.

…

"You know… When you said it was kind of like a sewer… I thought you meant that it was kind of dirty… Never have I thought it was actually in the ground…" Minato commented, looking around the small, dingy yet surprisingly lively café underneath the streets.

"Rei… What are you eating anyway?" Yu asked, looking at the monstrous sandwich in Rei's little hands.

The sandwich in question was a three foot long (cut into three pieces), one foot high, slimy and smelly beast. Yu and Minato couldn't see all of the contents between the bread, but they saw tentacles, green eggs, green ham, leaves, chicken feet, and an angler fish's lure peeking out between the normal stuff. It was truly a monster sandwich, a myth among legends shrouded in mysteries and enigmas…

"This is how I plan on treating you guys." Rei said before taking a bite, squelching noises resounding through their table space.

"How is making us sick to the stomach treating us? I'm sorry, but watching and listening to you eat that is just plain torture." Minato replied.

"It's part of the café's challenge. All other orders after this monstrosity will be free of charge if, and only if the person eating it can actually finish it. That is why this is the first thing we order as Rei can finish it with no problem." Zen explained.

"So it's like the super-sized jumbo parfait… Except excessively gross…" Yu commented, watching Rei taking bite after bite of the thing.

And with one final bite, the monstrosity was gone, almost as if it didn't existed in the first place. "Finished! May I have the usual to wash that down!?" Rei yelled out.

"Aye lass, you always be impressen me with those chompers of yours. Anything else?" The clerk asked.

"I'll take the usual as well." Zen answered.

"Give me a medium dark roast with cream and sugar." Yu added.

"Oh what the hell… Large black." Minato said.

And in a few minutes, four cups were placed in front of them and now, the real conversation began. "So, what have you guys been doing?" Yu asked.

"Well, we're attending school. You know, the big Capital campus sixteen stops away." Rei answered before taking a drink from her cup of over-sweetened French vanilla.

"Really? Well, going to school was your dream and Zen just followed I guess. So what are you studying?" Minato asked.

"We're both art majors, where Rei is focusing on drawing and painting and I am focusing on crafting and manufacturing. Though it is difficult for the first few months, where we were absolutely burdened with mastering the basics, we were finally able to learn the more complex subjects." Zen explained.

"I could only imagine how it was. Still, art huh? Never knew you two had an interest." Yu replied.

"Well, Zen was the one who chose Art and I just followed because I don't really know what to do. Zen was so sure because he's always good with his hands and wanted to put that to good use." Rei explained.

"Well you should know best, having spent plenty of time with Zen since… Forever probably." Minato commented with a half smirk.

Rei's face began flaring red the moment Minato said that and had averted her gaze from all the others in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Zen kept his expression neutral, but one could see a faint blush creep onto his face.

"Come on, don't tease them. We'll do that after they get married." Yu chuckled.

"Right, right, congratulations by the way." Minato replied, gesturing to the rings upon the two's fingers.

"Thanks you two…" Rei thanked bashfully, a light blush coloring her face.

"It took me quite the effort to mine, smelt, and shape the gold into a ring, but it was well worth the effort." Zen said, taking a drink from his coffee.

"That's what I thought. It doesn't look like anything on the market." Minato commented.

"Definitely a grand romantic gesture." Yu added.

"But that's enough about us. What about you two? Wait! If you two are here, is everyone else here too!?" Rei asked.

"That's right, everyone is here. Yosuke, Yukiko, even Teddie. We're all here on Sanctuary." Yu answered.

"We tried looking you guys up, but nothing showed up. Were you guys doing something super-secret?" Rei asked.

"Well that is one way to put it. But I'll have them tell you what we're doing themselves, you busy tonight?" Minato asked.

"Well, we did have some assign…!" "Nope! Nothing! Absolutely unimportant!" Zen began before being interrupted by Rei.

"Alright then, come by The Baron's Lounge in downtown commercial and show the guys up front this card, they'll let you in." Yu instructed, passing them a signed blue card.

"The Baron's Lounge… I presume it's in the cloud sub-district?" Zen asked.

"You guessed it. It may be a pain in the ass to deal with the snobs there, but don't worry about them. Also, you don't have to sweat over looking nice, it's just a meeting between friends." Minato answered.

"So don't push yourselves into debt getting something good to wear. If you do, we'll fine you." Yu said.

"Yes Sir!" Rei shouted cheerfully.

"Then I suppose we'll be continuing this conversation in the evening?" Zen asked.

"You know it. And we'll have everyone there to join in on it." Minato answered.

"Then we shall see you there." Zen said with a smile.

Yu and Minato got up from their seats, drinks in hand, and gave a smile to the two.

"Well, see you two tonight." Yu said.

"Come at seven, they should all be there by then." Minato added.

"We'll be there for sure!" Rei replied excitedly.

And, with a nod, the Yu and Minato left the couple.

"Today was a nice surprise." Zen commented.

"It was… But it isn't over, we still have to meet the others again." Rei replied.

"Then shall we get ready?"

"Let's!"

* * *

 **And that is chapter 3. Two wild characters has appeared! And there will be more to come in the future. Though the story really starts when two specific characters takes the stage. So hopefully you, dear readers, will be around when they show up.**

 **Other than that, I have no other news. So, leave your questions, comments, and concerns in the drop box and I will begin working to improve the story.**

 **Also, once more, the description of the story will change as it goes on.**

 **Until next time. T1.**


	4. Chapter 4: Imperfect Reunion

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

It was seven fifteen in the evening, Zen and Rei finally got off the subway station that was closest to their destination, The Baron's Lounge. While Minato said not to dress up, the two decided to put on the best clothes they got, which is simply just their cleanest.

"Do you think they mind me bringing something along? It doesn't feel right to go to a get together and not have something on you." Rei commented, looking at the plastic bag she is holding.

"I'm sure they won't mind. They would be more concerned with seeing you again." Zen replied.

"You're probably right… Still, I feel really out of place…"

"Don't worry, I'll be here to protect you. We're here."

It wasn't a large establishment, a two story building that could accommodate 300 patrons comfortably. And there stood two bouncers in front of the doors, as well as several men and women in suits and sunglasses. While the bouncers aren't out of place, those men and women are, placing Zen on guard.

"Excuse me, a Yu Narukami asked us to meet us here? Gave us this card?" Rei said, approaching the bouncers as she showed them the card.

The two only took a glance at it before giving her an affirmative nod. And with a bow, Rei drags Zen inside only to find Minato standing around in the entrance way, staring at various painting reproductions.

"Leader." Zen greeted simply.

"Not your leader anymore Zen. Still, glad you made it. For a minute I thought you two weren't going to show up." Minato replied.

"Why wouldn't we? I really wanted to see everyone again, get to know what's going on." Rei said.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get to business."

When the three began making their way down the first floor corridor, they ran into Yu along the way, who was emerging from the bathroom.

"Vice-leader." Zen greeted.

"Great, you two made it. Now the real fun can start. What's in the bag?" Yu commented.

"Some takoyaki I bought. I couldn't meet everyone empty handed so I bought some, hope you don't mind."

"That's fine Rei." Minato answered, patting Rei's head.

"Also, I think the agents outside might have raised some questions. They said a suspicious cloaked man and blonde woman have come to see me."

"And how did they react? Is anything ruined?" Minato asked.

"Not really, everyone looked either confused or not really concerned. But I knew who they were talking about and headed out."

"And right into the bathroom?"

"Nature called. Did Labrys come yet?"

"Of course. And no, she didn't."

"Who's Labrys? A new friend?" Rei asked.

"You'll find out later tonight. Come on, I think we kept everyone waiting for long enough." Minato said, as he and Yu began leading Zen and Rei.

Rei's heart slowly began beating faster and faster with each step she took. Her feet felt heavy, her hands trembled, and there was this constricting feeling deep within her chest. It was like she had to make a presentation in front of the class, and Rei never liked doing it. But this is just meeting some old friends, so why is she acting so shaky?

"It's okay Rei, they are just our old friends." Zen commented, noticing his lover's nervous expression.

"I don't know, what if they forgot about us after all this time?" Rei asked nervously.

"I'm sure they wouldn't Rei, you are someone unforgettable." Zen replied before clasping Rei's hand.

"Thanks Zen. I'll try not to think about it." Rei said, the nervous feeling slowly vanishing as Zen's hand warmed her own.

"Okay you two, this is it. Wait out here until we give you the signal." Yu instructed.

The two nodded and stood against the wall before Yu and Minato opened the door into the room.

"You're back! What took you so long?" A cheery voice asked.

"Sorry Rise, had to drop by the throne to drop of a package." Yu answered.

"Uh what?" Another asked, confused.

"Bathroom Junpei." Minato answered.

"Ohhhh… Makes sense."

"You should have mentioned that before you left. I had thought those suspicious individuals might have kidnapped you." A calm, elegant voice said.

"Mitsuru-senpai, Yu isn't an easy target to take down. So I doubt just anyone could kidnap him, especially when he's literally stone's throw away from help." Minato replied.

"Hmmm… You're right, it does seem a bit foolish to worry now that you mention that fact."

"Come on Mitsuru-senpai, it's only natural to be concerned about your friends." Another voice replied with reassurance.

"I know Yukari, but thank you for your reassurance. Still, did you see who these suspicious individuals Narukami?"

"Met them face to face. But don't worry, they're just two friends that I invited over." Yu answered.

"Narukami, I remember telling everyone to keep this little celebration amongst us Shadow Operatives. Is there any good reason you decided to invite these two specific individuals? Are you sure they can be trusted?"

"Mitsuru-san, Yu may be an eccentric, but he knows who can keep a secret. I should know, I'm his partner." A lively voice commented.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Yosuke."

"I meet them and they are pretty trustworthy." Minato added.

"Well if you two are so sure, then let's give the two a warm welcome. Bring them in." Mitsuru replied.

"Come on in guys!" Yu shouted.

With a deep breath, Rei turned towards the door and began walking, with Zen closely following behind her. Step by step, her heart began beating faster and faster, the tension building in Rei's small body. And with one more step, there was no more wall hiding her or Zen, just open air between them and long lost friends.

It was quiet, no one said anything as they all saw the two, eyes widening. Rei took another step forward, as did Zen, and the two were now officially within the room. Rei was nervous as all hell and was mostly looking down, Zen remained stoic as he scanned the faces in the room. But it wasn't long before the silence was broken. With a spark of confidence, Rei looked up and let a gentle smile spread across her face, her lips let loose a warm but strong…

"Hi everyone, it's been a while."

A glass fell out of someone's hand and shattered against the floor, but everyone was still looking at the two.

"Guys, meet Zen and Rei." Yu introduced with a smile.

Whatever happened next was an uproar. Before Rei knew it, she was being hugged by several people and found it a bit hard to breath. However, despite the slight pain, Rei felt like she and Zen finally made it home after a long journey, where the warmth of the family she knew awaited her.

"Rei-chan!"

"Oh my God it is you!"

"We've missed you so much!"

"I'm home everyone…" Rei said tearfully, hugging the girl in front of her.

"Welcome back…" Yukiko replied, gently hugging her back.

Zen smiled as almost everyone crowded around Rei, he knew she was the one that everyone misses more. But he himself received a few greetings from their old friends.

"I should've expected that it would be you two. How have you been doing Zen?"

"Shinjiro. I've been doing well." Zen answered simply.

"It has most certainly been a surprise. I didn't think senpai had anymore tricks up his sleeve."

"Uhhh… Naoto? What about that time…"

"Kanji… This is not the time to mention that…"

"This was so unexpected, I am at a loss for words. Still, it is wonderful to see you both healthy." Mitsuru commented.

"To you as well." Zen replied.

"Come on! What are we all standing around for! Let's sit down and catch up!" Chie yelled out, as the crowd around Rei dispersed.

"You two must have quite a few stories to tell. It really has been too long since we saw you two." Fuuka added.

"I hope you guys don't mind, but I brought some takoyaki with me. It may not be as good since it's practically from a back alley vendor, but I couldn't come empty handed."

"Oh don't worry Rei-chan, I love me some back alley trash in my tummy!" Teddie cheered.

"Damn it Teddy! Have you been digging through our garbage again!?" Yosuke yelled.

"Not that you can prove anything…" Teddie whistled.

"Teddie is now confirmed garbage disposal, his list of utilities just keep growing!" Aigis commented, almost deadpan.

"Why is Aigis-san keeping track of this?" Ken whispered to Minato.

"Don't ask, just let her do what she wants."

"Seriously… Who would throw away good food? It's wasted nutrients that could be put could be put to better use in the body." Akihiko commented.

"That's what you're concerned with? Not the fact that our resident bear has been dumpster diving for a snack?" Shinjiro asked.

"Whatever he does on his spare time is not my concern. Though digging through someone else's trash is a felony… Teddie, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me to the station later." Akihiko replied.

"Hey wait! I wasn't alone! Koro-chan was with me! He was my lookout!" Teddie yelled.

Koromaru let out a denying bark.

"Koromaru-san says that Teddie-san is lying and that he goes through the Junes trash all by himself." Aigis said.

"So you were digging through our trash!" Yosuke yelled.

It then got really rowdy as shouts and laughter rang throughout the room. Rei herself began laughing too, missing this kind of atmosphere. Zen was simply smiling knowing that Rei was happy.

"Wow, looks like the party started without me." A new voice said.

All turned to the doorway and saw a white haired girl standing at the doorway. Well, a white haired robot girl is a more accurate description. The girl's forearms were red and resembled gauntlets, her mechanical joints were clearly visible upon her white limbs, and piercing ruby eyes that were both intimidating and attractive. To Zen and Rei, she almost resembled Aigis when they first met her, could this be a relative of some sort?

"Labrys! You made it!" Yu said.

"Sorry, all those updates and diagnostics on this old body took ages to finish."

"Sister, I told you should have done those sooner. And you should really use more caution on our missions, the amount damage you sustained worried me. What if your plume or head was destroyed?" Aigis said, worry in her voice.

"Oh don't worry little sis, I won't let something like that kill me. Anyway, anyone going to introduce me to the two new fa…?" Labrys replied before turning to Zen and Rei, stopping mid sentences when she saw Rei.

Labrys' ruby eyes went wide as she scanned Rei from head to toe, mouth still hanging open slightly. All was pretty confused when they saw the normally vocal robot go quiet, especially when the cause was the innocent and disarming Rei.

"Umm, can I help you?" Rei asked nervously.

"Are… Are you Niko?"

This time, it was Rei who went stiff. Her face pales upon letting the name she hated so much sink in. Rei's hands tremble, her chest feels heavy, her legs grow weaker, and her voice is faltering.

"I have been looking for her for a long time… Please, tell me you are Niko."

"How do you know that name?" Rei whispered, voice trembling.

"What?"

"How do you know my name!? Who are you!?" Rei shouted.

"Wait! I don't…!" Labrys began before being interrupted by Zen placing himself between Labrys and Rei, crossbow drawn.

"I will only ask you once, stay far away from Rei." Zen threatened.

"What's with you!? All I want to do is talk to Niko!" Labrys shouted.

"Don't call me that!"

Zen then pointed one of his crossbow right at Labrys' face, startling the rest.

"Woah! Zen! Don't point that at Labrys!" Yosuke yelled.

"What the hell is going on!?" Junpei shouted.

"Zen, drop the crossbow." Yu said.

Zen only tightened his grip, finger still touching the trigger.

"ZEN!" Minato yelled.

And after a tense moment, Zen lowered the crossbow but still continued to stand between Labrys and Rei.

"Labrys, we need to talk." Yu said.

"Wait!? Me!? Why am I in trouble!?"

"I didn't say you were. But there are things you need to know. Could you guys calm down Rei?" Yu replied.

"Sure thing Sensei! Just don't be too harsh on Labby-chan." Teddie replied.

"Let me join you. There are few things I have to say too." Minato added walking up to Yu.

Labrys wanted to say something, but voted against it. And before walking out the door with Minato and Yu, she took one last look at Rei and let out a whisper.

"Mom…"

* * *

 **And that is chapter 4. For those who have played Persona Q and Arena, you should be aware where I'm going with this. There has been speculation as to how Rei is connected to Labrys, with some saying that she is Labrys' mother. Whilst many say that she isn't, I believe she is based on what I gathered and read. If you want to know more about the evidence that supports the Rei is Labrys' Mother theory, feel free to contact me.  
**

 **Anyway, what do you think of this chapter? I can't really tell since I'm a poor judge of my own work. So please, leave any and all questions, comments, and concerns about the story in the review box and I will work to improve the experience for everyone.**

 **So, until next time. T1.**


	5. Chapter 5: Trying Again

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

"Okay, this is a good place." Yu commented, looking around the empty hallway.

"Can someone tell me what just happened? Who was that guy? And why does Niko not want to be called Niko?" Labrys asked.

"Well, for starters, Rei has some really bad memories with her old name." Minato began.

"Niko meant nothing but second child to Rei, her mom said so to her face." Yu continued.

Labrys entered a stage of deep thought, searching through her memories of the girl she was patterned after. Over the course of Labrys' life, memories of the girl slowly surfaced and Labrys is able to remember them. Naturally, the older the memory is, the fuzzier and shorter the whole thing would be. So with Minato and Yu's context, Labrys began recalling all memories involving the girl's family.

However, the moment she found something, Labrys slapped herself in the face.

"Oh god… I'd done goof…"

"Excuse me?" Minato asked, surprised at the robot's word choice.

"It's nothing… Just me fucking up an important meeting…"

"It's nothing to worry about, things like this happen all the time." Yu replied.

"No, not that. I messed up my meeting with Ni – Rei."

"What do you mean? Was there anything important about this?"

Labrys looked down, thinking about how to go about the thoughts in her head.

"Do you know how the 5th generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons were made?"

"Yeah, since the AI technology wasn't that good yet, they would make patterns by using memories of a volunteer, the 'parents'. Then with some state of the art robotics and Plumes of Dusk, an ASSW is born. From that point on, they would try to develop the ASSW by… Actually, you know this story all too well. What are you trying to get at?" Minato answered.

"Who do you think my parent was?"

"Well, your mother was… Wait! You think it's…!?" Yu began before a thought hit him.

Labrys simply just nodded her head sadly.

"Based on what we know about your mom, she was a sickly girl who wanted to make herself useful, go to school, make friends, and be part of the world." Minato began.

"And she was staying at the Inaba Municipal Hospital, where the Kirijo group held their experiment patients. The girl also stayed there most of her life before passing away… It does sound like Rei might be your mom." Yu continued.

"I know she is! I looked into everything I could about Ni – Rei! There is no way I'm wrong!"

"Calm down, we're not doubting you. It's just a pretty big surprise." Yu replied.

"Right… Sorry… Maybe I should go home… Seeing that I just ruined everything…"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it, you didn't know. Just start fresh, apologize, those two are pretty forgiving. Well, Rei more so than Zen." Minato said with reassurance.

"I guess… But how do I go about the whole, I'm your kind of daughter thing?"

"Don't. She's in shock over the fact you know her real name. So pulling that card out of nowhere will do… Who knows what? And I'm not risking that with Zen around. We'll wait a bit before bringing it up, subtly." Yu answered.

"But I really want her to know…"

"And she will. We'll help you when the time comes, alright?"

"And so will everyone else. I just hope they can pick up on my subliminal messages."

"Thanks, I feel a bit better knowing that." Labrys said with a smile.

"Then let's head back. We have a lot to talk about." Yu replied.

"It's going to be a wild night isn't it?" Minato mumbled, following Labrys and Yu.

When the three returned, it appeared that things returned to normal. Rei however, was still quiet and was holding Zen's hand. The two were sitting down in a corner, only making small responses to the others around them.

"Welcome back. Did you sort out the misunderstanding?" Mitsuru asked.

"All clear. Now what trouble happened while we were gone?" Minato asked.

"Well, Teddie and Junpei broke their noses after slipping on something. You can still see the blood on the wall." Yukiko answered, pointing towards the two blotches of blood on the wall.

"Who spilt that anyway!?" Junpei asked, voice sounding congested due to the napkins in his nose.

"It still hurts…" Teddie moaned, rubbing his nose.

"God damn it…"

While Minato was dealing with that situation, Labrys began approaching Zen ad Rei to apologize with Yu following her. Zen noticed and stood up, reading himself against the robot girl.

"Zen, relax." Yu said.

"I don't exactly trust her." Zen replied bluntly.

"I know big guy. But I'm not here to fight you, I just want to say sorry." Labrys said.

Zen still looked at Labrys suspiciously, but ultimately sat back down.

"Okay, Rei, I'm really sorry about the whole name thing. I didn't know you had some bad memories with that name."

"But how did you know it in the first place? I'll hold it over your head until you tell me."

"A friend of mine talked about you. She wanted to thank you for a couple of things but couldn't, so she asked me to do it." Labrys replied, half lying.

"Who is she? I could go see her in person."

"She isn't anyone important, and really shy. That's why she asked me to do it."

"Hmmm… I would like it if you gave me a name… But..."

"But?"

"But I guess I could let this slide. I still don't exactly trust you, but whatever that was before was an accident. And I can't blame people for accidents."

"Thank you so much, it won't happen again!"

"Did you two make up over there?" Yosuke asked.

"All good Yo-chan!" Rei answered.

"Alright! Now we're all buddy buddy again, let's be like a tomato and ketchup." Teddie joked.

Everyone looked at him, face wrinkled in annoyance at the Teddie's bad joke whilst Yu slowly clapped, and Teddie simply smiled his cheery smile.

Rei then broke the silence with a snort, then let out a laugh.

"That was terrible! Oh god! I can't breath!" Rei laughed.

"Rei-chan… It wasn't that funny…" Yukiko commented.

"It isn't… I'm just glad that you guys didn't change much..." Rei said, gasping for breath.

"Hey! We're more mature than last time!" Yukari argued.

"I don't know about that…" Minato replied, looking at Junpei.

"Yeah, not much has changed since I first met them. Everyone is still just as silly." Labrys said.

"Truly we're all birds of a feather…" Aigis added.

"This night is going to be a long one…" Mitsuru mumbled.

"But I wouldn't have it any other way!" Rei cheered.

As the cheers and laughter of friends filled the room, Labrys looked at Rei smiling and laughing before a smiled formed on her own face. While she wanted to tell the truth to her mother, Labrys knew it wasn't the time to do so. So for now, she will play the quirky friend and learn the little things about the girl named Rei.

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 5. The quality of my writing has dropped for this chapter and the last, but I'll try to improve for the next one. But how am I doing so far with this? The tone I'm generally aiming for is something like Persona Q, where there are both fluffy and tense moments. How am I doing so far with that? Please tell me in either in the message box or review section, leave questions, comments, and concerns so that I can improve the story for everyone.  
**

 **I have no other news this week. So...**

 **Until next time. T1.**


	6. Chapter 6: Friendly Conversation

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

"So that's why Waterbury Street was closed. Who would've thought that a giant meatball possessed by Shadows would do that much damage?" Rei commented.

"Anything of that size would logically do hefty amounts of personal and property damage… And what happened afterwards was just as bad." Naoto replied.

"The cleanup was a nightmare… Everywhere was just cuts of meat…" Shinjiro commented.

"It wasn't that bad, I had to clean up worse in Junes… Actually scratch that, the trees looked like they came out of a sci-fi movie." Yosuke said before changing his mind.

"And what a waste too… There were so many good cuts that had to be thrown away." Chie grumbled.

"It was contaminated, so we had no choice Hanamura." Mitsuru replied.

"Hanamura? Not Satonaka?" Zen asked.

"Oh yeah, we should really get that out of the way. Explaining who's married to who." Fuuka replied a bit shyly.

"Yeah! Yeah! I'm up for that!" Rei said, practically shaking in her seat.

"Woah, woah, calm down Rei-chan. We'll tell you, but you tell us about you and Zen afterwards." Rise replied.

"I'll do it!"

"Okay then! Who's first!?" Rise asked excitedly.

"Well you guys should go, seeing that most of your group's spouses are in the same room. As for the rest of us, our personal lives are hardly interesting and not worth the time." Shinjiro replied.

"Hey! Who you're calling uninteresting!? I'll have you know that me and Fuuka …!" Junpei began before being interrupted by a cushion to the face. And given his broken nose, Junpei began holding his nose as the dull pain came back.

"Junpei-kun, I asked you specifically not to mention that, EVER. So please, stay quiet while you can." A certain intimidating aura can be felt around the normally calm girl, which was certainly unsettling.

"Okay…" Junpei mumbled, still holding his nose.

"As much as I want to know what happened between you two, I think it's safer to just drop it…" Yukari commented.

"Well if you guys won't say anything, then I'll just go through the list. There's Yosuke and Chie, Kanji and Naoto, Yukiko and Teddie, and myself and Rise. So yeah, we're a bunch of in-breeders." Yu said.

"Dude don't say it like that, it makes it sound weird. Like we all dated each other at one point or another…" Yosuke replied.

"Wait! Yuki-chan and Teddie!? When did that happen!? Yuki-chan was always threatening to melt Teddie every time I saw them together!" Rei asked.

"Well as Teddie got older, he became more mature and responsible. And somewhere along the line, we started dating."

"I wasn't even aiming to score with Yuki-chan. I was more concerned with my one bear mission to make his mark on the world at large. And to make sure my tummy wasn't bearing itself apart every week ever since I moved out of Yosuke's house."

"Is that why you scrounge through the garbage?" Yosuke asked.

"…It became a habit okay…" Teddie mumbled sadly.

"Still, it was a pretty big shock to all of us to find out that Teddie of all people was dating Yukiko-senpai." Rise commented.

"I'll say, but I don't believe the bear got any more mature, I'd say you just got used to it." Shinji commented.

"Well, whatever the case, we're together now. Teddie may be somewhat of a joker, but he's the perfect taste tester when I'm experimenting with my cooking."

Everyone looked at Teddie, who was simply smiling, and suddenly started to feel a bit nauseous.

"I… I feel so bad for you…" Junpei commented, placing his hand on Teddie's shoulder.

"So that's why he keeps getting sent to the hospital! I'm sorry Yukiko, but you have to stop. You'll bankrupt Junes just from Teddie's insurance alone." Yosuke pleaded.

"Oh don't worry Yosuke, I was only sent to the hospital three times last month. But man, those doctors are getting better with the stomach pumping each time I go there."

"They're improving because of you! And going to the hospital three times a month is still three times too many!" Yosuke shouted.

Whilst Yosuke was going on about the importance of maintaining one's health, mostly from a financial aspect, with the support of several others, namely Akihiko, Rei was quietly sipping from her cup. A rather quick change in demeanor that Labrys noticed while observing her.

"You okay Rei?" Labrys asked.

"I just have bad experiences with hospitals…"

While her memories never covered her mother's death, Labrys made the effort to find Rei's hospital documents and records in order to understand the circumstances behind her passing. It was tragic really, a teenage girl's life was cut short by a terminal illness and a botched attempt to cure it. Labrys couldn't begin to imagine what that must have felt like, dying when you still have dreams to accomplish and desires to fulfill, dying with a myriad of regrets. Her findings put her own existence into perspective, making Labrys thankful for the chance at life that her mother never had. And from that point on, Labrys decided to live a life enough for both of them, enough to hopefully fulfill the dreams that she inherited from Rei.

But now that both of them are here, face to face in the same room, it may be time to start bonding with the mother she never had, to get to really know who she was instead of relying on her own memory.

"I could understand that feeling. I had some pretty bad experiences with some white coats."

"Can a robot get sick?"

"No they can't. It's just some scientists that didn't treat me very well, thought I was just some tool to them."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay, past is past. I came to terms with it thanks to Yu-kun and the others, they became my friends because of that."

"Did you meet them while you were here?"

"No, when we were alive."

"Oh… I see…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

"What were we talking about again? It's really hard to keep track with this many people throwing out topics." Yosuke asked.

"We were talking about Yukiko-sempai being married to Teddie. But how we got to bad luck dream chili from there is beyond me." Kanji answered.

"I'm telling you! Ever since I didn't eat that dream chili it's been one disaster after another!" Junpei said, exasperated.

"It's just in your head Stupei, there is no such thing as bad luck chili." Yukari replied.

"We're on a planet filled with dead people! Said dead people are aliens, humans, anthropomorphic furries, monsters, and everywhere in the wilderness there are Shadows and other beasties roaming about. And you're saying, against all odds, there is no such thing… As bad luck chili?" Junpei asked.

"He does have a point, everything that is fantasy just may exist on this world. I mean, just last week…!" Naoto said before being interrupted.

"Enough of that Naoto! I want to hear what Zen-kun and Rei-chan have been up to since we last saw them!" Rise said loudly.

"Well, they got engaged, that's a start." Minato replied.

"That is hardly a surprise, we all knew the affection the two had for each other. Though I do have questions on where they procured their rings, considering that they don't have much money." Mitsuru replied.

"They probably got it from somewhere in the outskirt market. I mean, the quality of the ring is pretty crap." Yosuke commented.

"Yosuke!" Chie yelled.

"What!? I'm being honest here!"

"Well I don't blame Yo-chan for assuming it's cheap. But our rings actually made of gold that Zen mined out."

"Wait, mined!? As in, from the depths of the earth!?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, Zen spent weeks finding enough gold to make two rings out of them. After that, he took months to smelt and forge the ores into rings that were just the right size and shape. Even after he was done, Zen took hours to smooth out the rings to make them perfect. I know it doesn't look like much, and it probably isn't worth much either… But I love it. I love it because Zen put his blood and sweat into making it. It is the proof that Zen loves me, and I wear it to show that I love him and him alone." Rei said, a gentle smile on her face as she looked at the gold ring around her finger.

"It was certainly difficult. By being in the mines, I risked my life on ores I may never find. By being in the forge, I risked my health and body being surrounded by smoldering metal and smoke. My fingers grew stiff and ached as I shaped the gold into the perfect ring, my eyes would grow heavy as I worked late into the night. But through the suffering and injuries I sustained, I can easily say that this is my greatest work and I am proud of how it turned out. And seeing Rei happy in the end was definitely worth the effort." Zen commented.

Labrys then saw everyone look at their own wedding rings, they were shining and many of them had gems adorning them. Even Minato and Yu were looking at their own, despite knowing the story before, and felt that the shining gold and dazzling gems of their rings were losing their luster. Its light paling in comparison to the dull shine of Zen and Rei's, producing a sense of inadequacy in everyone else.

"That's incredible Zen-kun. There isn't anyone I know who did anything nearly as impressive." Fuuka commented.

"I'm just going to shut up from here on out…" Yosuke said.

"It's okay Yo-chan, all of my university friends made the same mistake. Just don't do it again okay?"

"Thanks…" He replied, patting Rei's head.

"Speaking of university, tell us about your studies. Are they going well?" Akihiko asked.

As Zen began to tell every one of their studies, Rei took a subtle glance at the silver haired robot girl next to her. While she didn't mind Labrys' company, there was something about her that seemed off. And despite jumping into a conversation that allowed her to talk about her dear Zen, Rei cannot help but let a sliver of doubt take root in her heart while this generally friendly conversation took place. All over the robot girl named Labrys…

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 6.  
**

 **This chapter was the light hearted bit before I start going into another direction. My big question is, how did I do here? Did someone get a small laugh out of the humor I had threw down?**

 **Also, if anyone is interested in looking at full detailed explanations on how Labrys and Rei are connected, just private message me and I'll give you the links and my own thoughts with it. If you have thoughts of your own on the subject, send those in as well, I'm kind of curious as to how others see this connection.**

 **Anyway, that is all I really have for this week. Remember to send in your questions, comments, and concerns about the story and I will work on improving it for all of us.**

 **And that is everything. So...**

 **Until next time. T1.**


	7. Chapter 7: Wavering Faith

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

An hour and a half has passed, but the lively atmosphere didn't change that much, in fact, it got more chaotic. The number of drinks that were ordered didn't help matters either…

"Senpai… The world feels funny…" Rise said with a slur.

"Mina dude… Have I ever told you that… You'll always be my best bro?" Junpei asked, putting his arm around Minato.

"Go home Junpei, you're drunk." Minato replied, attempting pry the man off of him.

"The floor smells nice…" Teddie moaned as he hugged the ground.

"This is strange. According to my analysis, these drinks contain no ethanol or any other alcoholic content. And yet, there are a number of us that are mildly tipsy to full-blown intoxicated." Aigis commented.

"I gave up trying to figure that out… I swear this happens every time we all go out to celebrate anything…" Yosuke replied.

"Is that all you got Shinji…? I got a couple of more rounds left in me…"Akihiko said, bleary eyed.

"How on earth are you drunk? There's no alcohol in these." Shinjiro commented, taking a sniff from all the empty glasses.

Rei continued to observe everyone going into their own conversations with the people around them, she herself listening to some of Naoto's recent cases which took a turn into the bizarre. But she was not paying much attention to it as she was more focused on the conversation happening next to her, the one between Zen and Labrys about the workings of the robot girl's body.

"Could you go into detail on how your forearms function in combat? From what I can see, these pockets appear to be vents of some kind. Possibly to direct the force of an explosive based propellant judging from the uncleaned residue." Zen asked, examining Labrys' forearm.

"I thought I cleaned all of that… Anyway, you got it right, my forearms can be launched out like a rocket. I can use it to move around by grappling onto things, or as a ranged attack by firing at something." Labrys explained.

She then detached her forearm to reveal a chain that is connecting it to the rest of her body.

"It's all connected to this chain so I won't have any problems retrieving my arm after I fired it. This chain also gives me another weapon, as I can flail around whatever I'm holding."

"Interesting. Do you mind if I take a look?" Zen asked, holding out his hand.

"Not at all." Labrys replied, handing her detached arm to Zen.

Zen continued to ask the robot girl about the inner workings of her systems, which Labrys answered with enthusiasm. Rei, unsure how to feel about the two conversing, bit her lip and stayed quiet as she continued to listen to the two.

"Is something wrong Rei-chan?" Yukiko asked, sounding slightly tipsy.

"Oh! Uhhh, no I'm… Actually, can I talk to you in private?"

"Of course you can. Come on."

As Yukiko and Rei got up, Zen turned to them..

"Are you going somewhere Rei?"

"Just to the lady's room. You don't have to worry, Yuki-chan will be with me. So you can go on with your talk with Labby-chan"

"Okay." Zen replied before going back to studying Labrys' arm.

It wasn't long before Rei and Yukiko were out of the room, away from everyone else, and into the more private corridor.

"I think here is good…" Rei commented, looking around the corner.

"Are you okay Rei-chan? This isn't anything suspicious is it?"

"No, it's not… But…"

"But?"

"What can you tell me about Labby-chan?"

"Hmmm… Well I can say that she's very much like you."

"How so?" She asked, uncertainty lacing her voice.

"Well… You two both wanted to go to school, make friends, and things like that. We found her in a fake Yasogami just like you and Zen-kun, pretending she was the student council president, it was her way of running away from the past. Though that was in the TV world and not some other dimension. Oh! And the two of you have some pretty messed up parents, with Labrys' creators seeing her as nothing more than a machine. "

"And this is when you were all alive?"

"Yes. It was months after our adventure with you, during Golden Week. Yu-kun was coming to visit, we all saw a new, ridiculous broadcast on the midnight channel, and next day, and we went in and beat each other up to find whoever was responsible for the whole mess. We saved Labrys after all that nonsense and she's been working with Mitsuru-san ever since, you know she has nearly a hundred missions under her belt."

"And how does everyone feel about her?"

"Well, Mitsuru-san says she's reliable in and out of the field. Yu-kun is glad that he has another friend. Yosuke and Teddie had a crush on her at one point. Zen seems to be interested despite the initial mistrust… Wait, do you have a problem with her Rei-chan?"

"I'm trying to figure that out…"

"Oh Rei-chan, you don't have to worry about Labrys. She may be a bit brash, but she is very sweet and well-meaning."

"I could tell but… I think I just need some alone time to sort out my thoughts."

"That's fine, take a walk around and clear your head. I'll be in the restroom if you need me. And remember, we're all here if you need someone to listen."

Rei smiled and bowed before walking off, leaving herself with her own thoughts. A lot has happened today, so this is probably the best move to make.

"When I was born, I was given the name Niko… I always thought it meant to smile, but my mom told me it means nothing more than second child. All I remember about my life is just being inside a hospital, just hoping that I would get better so I could leave and see the outside world, live to be someone more than just someone's second child. But I died without accomplishing anything… It hurt, but I met Zen because of that. And then I met everyone else, they put me to rest, made me pass on with no regrets. Then Zen and I were here, on Sanctuary. I thought that this is where we would make a difference, where we would make our mark, where we could live again. It was hard keeping track of everything going on, but it's something I love and would never give up."

"I thought I was finally achieving something, finally breaking away from my old life. But this girl, Labrys, comes in and calls me by my real name… How does she know it? Who is her friend that knows my name? What's more, who is she really?"

Rei looked to her right and saw herself, in the reflection of a mirror imbedded in the wall. She was all there, her long blonde hair, yellow cardigan, dark brown eyes, but something seemed to be missing. Rei reached out to her reflection, touching the cold reflective glass as she continued to stare into her reflection's eyes.

"Labby-chan... Who are you? Your life is just like mine, like a reflection in the mirror. You wanted to be something more than what you're parents decided, you wanted to live a life of a student, wanted to be away from your old life, and we even made the same friends who saved us. The only difference is that you were alive and I was already dead, you got a chance to live when I never could… If that's the case, then how are we alike? And what's my life compared to yours? What are my accomplishment's worth in the face of yours? What does a girl like me have over someone like you?"

Rei looked down at the ground, staring at nothing particular. "Am I jealous of you? Probably… I mean, you had a chance to be someone! Someone that didn't just die without proving that she could change the world in some way! Someone who had friends and family that supported them through everything when I didn't have anyone when I was dying on some operating table!"

Deep breaths… Deep breaths… "Maybe I'm overreacting… After all, things are different now. I have Zen with me, I'm taking classes, making new friends, and have a part time job. I'm doing things that I could never do before when I was alive, and I guess that's all that matters… But I still want to know who Labby-chan is, and why I feel so uneasy around her. I'll talk to Zen about this later, maybe then I can figure out if Labby-chan is a friend I can be happy and proud to have, and not be jealous or whatever of her."

Rei looked back up at her reflection, only to freeze at the sight of someone else in the mirror. A cloaked woman staring right at her through the reflective glass with freezing blue eyes. The moment Rei turned around to confront the person, everything went black and the ground crumbled like sand.

"I'm sorry my darling, but I need you tonight…"

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 7.**

 **Now this is the real start of everything, I'm getting excited! But how was this chapter? Was there an improvement in anything lately? Leave your questions, comments, and concerns in the usual place and I will get to reading it.**

 **I have nothing else to talk about this week. So...**

 **Until next time. T1.**


	8. Chapter 8: Missing

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

Zen shot out of his seat to a sudden spike of dread in the atmosphere. But before he could identify the source, the feeling left as quickly as it came. But despite the quickly disappearing feeling, everyone else was just as startled, even those who are a bit drunk.

"Did you feel that?" Zen asked, eyes still dilated.

"Yes… It appears we have trouble on our hands. Yamagishi! Kujikawa! I want an analysis of the vicinity for any anomalies!" Mitsuru answered.

"What!? There's nothing wrong!? We're in the Capital The safest place imagimanable!" Rise said before downing another drink.

"Just lay down Rise-chan, I'll handle this." Fuuka replied, pulling out a pistol from her purse.

The silver plated gun was then pointed straight at her own head, the barrel pressed up against Fuuka's forehead. Her finger gently squeezing the trigger…

"Juno! Come forth!"

A flash of blue light enveloped around Fuuka, before encasing her within a glass sphere, the base or "skirt" to the red dressed figure that now stands in the room. Its gloved arms were spread wide as its seven eyed face stared up into the ceiling, as if gazing into the heavens.

"An Evoker and a Persona… It's been a long while since I've seen either…" Zen commented.

"Okay, I'm beginning my analysis." Fuuka said, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together, appearing to pray.

"Did everyone feel that!?" Yukiko asked, rushing into the room. "Yeah, Fuuka-san is taking a look into it. Wait, where's Rei? Wasn't she with you?" Yu answered.

"She went off to clear her head, though I don't know where she is now." She replied. This line perked Zen's attention along with Labrys' and worry began stirring within both of them. Zen closed his eyes and began to concentrate, allowing an incantation to quietly pass his lips.

"Great expansive skies, dominion of Zeus, become my eyes. Mighty tides of the seas, realm of Poseidon, become my ears. Endless depths of the earth, kingdom of Hades, become my skin. Through the sea of souls and the land of the dead, seek out my beloved whose fate is bound to mine. And by your guidance, lead me to her side once more." Zen chanted softly.

Everything surrounding Zen became both vivid and muted, the other's conversations about the situation were muffled yet comprehensible as other sounds entered his mind. There was light tingling on his skin, as if there were ants crawling about his body. And through the darkness of his closed eyes, he could see faint images of The Capital and the lands beyond it. And from the numerous sounds, sights, and feelings, Zen began focusing on a single faint noise, a quiet whimper, a soft cry that he recognizes.

"Rei… Don't worry, I'm coming… Just let me see where you are…"

"I cannot allow that Chronos. I can't have you ruining the show before it even begins. So sorry… Not sorry." A voice chirped.

The visions, noises, and sensations ceased, putting Zen's mind back into the room in which he was sitting in as a mild headache was coming on. Zen rubbed his head, looking around, seeing everyone in a greater stir as they all began picking up their belongings whilst Mitsuru was rattling out orders into her phone. While the sight was disconcerting, Zen began turning his attention to the voice he heard during the divining before he was promptly brought back to reality.

"That voice… Where did I hear that voice before?"

"Zen, I must apologize, but we must leave for the evening. There has been a suspicious anomaly that is in need of being located." Mitsuru said, turning to Zen.

"Don't worry, there is something that I must take care of as well."

"If you're planning to look for Rei, then don't. You know as much as we do, and that's not enough to go on a one man rescue mission. You're going have to wait." Minato said.

"But…"

"Zen, please listen. What if Rei isn't actually missing and is just back home? It's unlikely, but it's still possible. The point is, we don't want to create more problems until we know what is going on. And you going out to do your own thing will do exactly that." Yu explained.

Zen was hesitant, he couldn't simply wait around until something happened… But he understood the reasoning and decided it was for the best, though he will still attempt to divine for Rei's location. "I understand… But please, be quick as I do not want Rei to suffer more than she already has."

"Of course! We'll be lightning fast in getting Rei-chan back to you! That I swear!" Rise declared, still tipsy.

"She'll be back with you before you know it big guy, I'll make sure of that." Labrys added.

"Thank you, then I won't hold you over anymore. I'll show myself out."

With somber smiles and drunk goodbyes, Zen went off into the night and began making his way back home. There was a feeling of loneliness stinging Zen's mind as he sat down on the subway back, a kind of anxiety that was never there before during other times he and Rei were separated. This feeling was just like that during the moment back in the haven in the rift, where the truth about him and Rei came out and she was captured by his other half.

Still, the circumstances here differ from then as Zen has no idea who is the culprit behind Rei's kidnapping. Once more, Zen closed his eyes, began concentrating, and began reciting the divining incantation. But it was again blocked before Zen could make any meaningful progress. And like before, a voice spoke to him before forcibly ending the divination and giving him a mild headache. What's stranger is that the voice is still very familiar to Zen.

"Again, that voice… Just where did I hear that voice? And why is it barring my attempts to find Rei?"

These two thoughts plagued him for the rest of the trip back to his and Rei's apartment, though not even a guess could be formulated by the time Zen reached the door. With a sigh in defeat, Zen opened the door and turned on the light to the apartment. A part of him hoped to simply find Rei already laying on the worn couch, soundly asleep whilst wrapped in a blanket. Alas, this is reality and it was just him and his lonesome inside the room.

"Rei… Just where did you go?"

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 8.**

 **Nothing else to say this week other than the usual stuff. Remember, your input will make me improve the story for everyone. Tune in next week for a real treat.**

 **That is all I have for now. So...**

 **Until next time. T1.**


	9. Chapter 9: Demented Tea Party

**I don't own anything except the world that this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

Rei began to stir, the oppressive tiredness slowly lifting as a warm light shined upon her face. Opening her eyes, Rei saw that she was in a clearing within a forest, a gentle breeze blowing through the green leaves. The sky was only slightly cloudy and the sun was shining radiantly, truly a picturesque day.

"Where am I?" Rei asked, looking around. Then it hit her, she was kidnapped…

"Zen! ZEN! Hello!? Is anyone there!?" Rei yelled out, panicked. There was no response, just more rustling of the leaves. "Okay, calm down… I have just been dumped in the middle of nowhere and no one is around, at least I think no one is around… I got to start a signal fire or something to let someone know I'm horribly lost, now where did I put those matches… Huh?" Rei thought as she began searching her person, only to find something surprising. Looking down at her clothes, Rei found that she wasn't wearing her yellow cardigan or anything resembling her usual attire. Instead, she was wearing a blue and white dress, the skirt just fell slightly below her knees, white tights, and shiny black shoes. Combined with her blonde hair, Rei looked just like Lewis Caroll's Alice.

"Okay… Now what?" Rei thought, searching her person again for anything useful.

Rustle… Rustle…

Rei's attention perked and slowly turned to the noise, ready to run should it be a threat. The bush continued to shake, progressively growing more and more violent as the seconds pass. Rei slowly began backing away from it. That was until the bush stopped shaking which caused Rei to freeze. Her eyes stayed glued on the bush, completely ready to break into a sprint when…

A rabbit hopped out…

Rei relaxed as she watched the rabbit slowly hop towards her. It was a white rabbit with a black spot over one eye, and it was wearing a mailman's uniform for some reason, complete with mail satchel. Once it was in front of her, the rabbit stood on its hind legs, reached into its little bag, and pulled out a pink envelope before holding it out towards Rei.

"Ummm… Thank you?" Rei said, sounding unsure as she accepted it. The rabbit tipped its hat before hopping away, leaving a very confused Rei behind to look at the letter. "I don't even know what… This is a trap, definitely a trap…" Rei mumbled.

"You certainly got that right." A voice replied.

"Huh!? Who said that!?"

"Down here, in your hand."

Rei looked at the letter again to see it was open, with the words that she just heard written on it. "But I didn't… How!?"

"Oh calm down darling, creating and opening up a magic letter is hardly difficult for someone of my caliber. Also let me introduce myself as Iris, your one and only kidnapper who plucked you from your comfy life and threw you into the ass middle of nowhere."

"And why would you do that!? Did I ask you to!? Bring me back!?"

"I don't feel like doing that love, and don't bother trying to convince me otherwise. Say, instead of us talking through this piece of paper, why not meet up and have a chat? I have some Earl Grey brewing and I could really use the company."

"Do you expect me to listen to you AFTER you kidnapped me!? No! I don't trust you or your weird tea! I'd rather take my chances with the wolves!"

"Please, there are no such things as wolves. At least, not in this dimension there isn't."

"Dimension? Oh no…"

"Exactly, no matter where you go, you will still be in my world. So why don't you save me and yourself the trouble and actually come to my little tea party."

"No, I'll just stay here, where I'm safe and far away from you!" Rei yelled as she began to sit down onto the grass.

But the moment her bottom touched something, it wasn't the feeling of soft grass and hard dirt, it was the feeling of a cushioned chair. Looking around, Rei saw that she was in a completely different clearing, one that had a dining table surrounded by rabbits in fancy garbs and one rabbit in a big purple jacket. The table was covered in various cookies, cakes, potato chips, pizzas, and way more teacups than there should be.

"Too late!"

Rei looked towards her left, towards the woman sitting upon a throne at the head of the table. Dressed in a black and white bunny costume, the woman had silky smooth dark hair, beautiful pale skin, and an absolutely gorgeous figure that is only emphasized by said costume. But something about her is off putting, and the feeling is not helped by her glowing icy blue eyes that are gazing at her.

"So glad you could join me and everyone else. I'm Iris, your great kidnapper and gracious host, pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah… A real pleasure…"

"Oh don't be like that. Come on, introduce yourself to the members of the table."

Seeing that there is nothing else she could do, Rei simply introduced herself to the rabbits.

"And now let me introduce you to our esteemed guests. Starting from my left, this is Snapple juice, Twinkie toes, Radish whiskers, Iced mocha, Fruit snack, English tots, big purp, and george." Iris said, pointing to each and every one of the rabbits.

"Okay… Now can you tell me why you kidnapped me?"

"Not until I serve the treats to everyone to the table."

With a snap from her gloved fingers, the food, plates, teacups, and teapots began floating and started to be distributed to everyone at the table.

"So, how is the Capital? I heard there were a lot of sights to see, especially the vending machines. Do they really give out anything you order?"

"Yes, how do you not know that?"

"Well, let's say I'm not from around here. In fact, I was planning to do some sightseeing after this little party is finished. Do you know anywhere to start? I take any and all suggestions."

"How about a police station? I heard the 27th precinct are experts in dealing with super powered psychos just like you."

"Something tells me you're bitter about being kidnapped."

"I am! What is wrong with you!? What makes you think anyone would be okay with being kidnapped!?"

"I actually know several people who are totally fine with being whisked away. In fact, one couple got together because one swept the other off her feet, much to the protest of her mama. Also, haven't you heard of Stockholm Syndrome?"

"Just tell me what you want…" Rei mumbled, burying her face into her hands in defeat.

"Munch on a few goodies first, I didn't spend money on them just to make the table look nice." Iris replied, gesturing to the full plate in front of Rei.

"Sorry, but I don't eat things given to me by strangers."

"Oh? And just who told you that?" Iris asked, sounding strangely curious.

"I don't know what your parents told you that made you so messed up, but my Mom told me to not do things that would get me in trouble."

"Ah, just like how she told you that you were nothing more than a second child?"

Rei went stiff, her eyes growing wide as a wicked smile began forming on Iris' lips.

"What's wrong? Did I touch a nerve?"

"How do you know that? That is something no one should be able to know about…"

"Oh please, there is a whole bunch of stuff I know about you. Let's see… You were diagnosed with a crippling disease that forced you into a hospital…"

"No…" Rei trembled as the memory began flowing through her head. Confusion and shock filled her young heart as she listened to the doctor... Her mom was shocked too… She could feel her mom's grip tighten around her little hand… A grip that didn't say it's going to be okay…

"You were abandoned by your parents when they found out you couldn't be cured…"

"Stop…" Whimpering began to escape her lips almost like a chant, a feeble attempt to distract her from the scene in her mind. 'I don't ever want to see you again!' Those words stung as her teary eyes watched as her mom ran away from her bed… Rei can even hear her own cries for her… But she never came back no matter how hard she shouted and yelled…

"When Yuki, your precious hospital 'friend', was finally discharged, it left you all alone in your room. Leaving you to cry yourself to sleep, seeing that you had no other shoulder to cry on."

"Please…" Her back appeared before Rei… Walking out the door of their once shared room… The feeling of their last hug that they shared was even there, quickly fading as tears rolled down her cheeks… All Rei could do was wrap her arms around herself defensively.

"And finally… There is the fated surgery… Your final hope… Your last chance to leave that blasted medicine box…"

 **And. That. Failed.**

Rei felt her heart skip, the world suddenly grew cold and dark as if reacting to the two's conversation. Rei forced her hesitant eyes to look around, they were no longer in the forest clearing basking in sunlight… They were in an Operating Room with darkness all around, the long dining table became an operating table, and the sun transformed into an oversized surgical lamp, its light shining directly over them. The rabbits were replaced with dolls in bloody surgeon's scrubs, all holding rusted tools. The food and teacups became extra tools, gauze, blood packs… Both fresh and used…

"You were in high spirits… You had high hopes as you laid on this operating table… You thought, that maybe the next time you wake up, you would be all better…"

 **But tell me… What did you see when you opened your eyes? What did you hear? And how was it? Feeling the last vestiges of your life worming its way out of your body? It must have been awful… Right?**

She felt it… She felt the operating table at her back. She felt the oxygen mask around her face. She felt the pain from having her chest opened up as hands touched her core. The cold steel of tools… The rapid beating of her heart… The tears that were soaking her cheeks… Rei can feel it all…

The sounds too... The noise and chaos of the room as the procedure went downhill assaulted her ears…

Her condition's getting worse! We have to begin emergency surgery!

Doctor! Her heart rate!

Administer a sedative! We've gotten too far to fail now!

Someone get more blood packs! The patient is losing too much! Sir! The patient's waking up! What!? We need to sedate her now! Rei-chan, don't worry, everything will be okay. We need that bloodwe'rerunningoutoftime!Sir!Thesedationhaslittleeffect!Thengiveherbuthat'stooaslongasshelivesReistaywithbegin **DRASTICMEASURES** calmdownstillnoeffect **LIVEDAMNYOU** itsnogood **REIREI** staywithme **SHEWONTMAKEIT** keeptryingflatlinegetmethedefribulator **GIVEUPSHESGONE** notyetonemore **TIME**! **Doctor**!

I don't want to die…

Rei couldn't move, the pain still burning within her chest, the sharp sound of an ECG rang in her ears. The noise of her own heart giving up became her lullaby as the sight of resigned surgeons and nurses burned itself into her memories…

The operation… has failed… Miserably…

Those words were the last she heard as the world grew dark… The pain finally gone…

"And that was the end of it all. A girl, who knew nothing about the world beyond her window, died at the hands of over-confident doctors. A girl, whose life was without love, without friends, without victories, succumbed to some disease despite her prayers each and every night. A girl whose life's chapter will go unwritten and unremembered by history. A girl with no legacy to pass on… A girl with zero impact on the world… That must have been cruel of the Moirai, weaving such a short and cruel life for you. How do you go on living knowing that you are literally nothing? That you only exist to be another casualty of fate? To be another soul amongst the forgotten? To be an insignificant pebble in the path of destiny for others?" Iris asked, taking a sip from her cup.

"I'm not nothing… My life did mean something…" Rei answered weakly, feeling those words told to her by Zen lose its meaning.

"Really now? Let's hear it. Tell me how did this girl on the operating table affect any one?" Iris asked, gesturing to the table.

When Rei looked at the table, she almost passed out at the sight… There she was… Her own body… Dressed in bloody patient scrubs, this Rei was exactly like her in every way, right down to the scars on her ears when she tried to get it pierced. What was this?

"What's wrong? Weren't you going to tell me the meaning to your life? The significance of the memoir to your lovely corpse that is before us? Go ahead, tell me anything."

"My friends… They taught me how a single person can change the life of someone else. I changed someone in some way because I meet them. And I'm sure I made my impact on Yuki-chan and the others because Zen and I met them." Rei answered. Her voice was still shaking, but she did take pride in her answer.

"Is that so? How… Weak…"

Rei didn't like how Iris responded, so she began steeling herself against her rebuttal.

"Yes, meeting someone can change them, no matter the circumstances. But if we're talking about those people you call friends, you're just in the shadow of someone far greater than you. Who was that someone again? Ah yes, Labrys."

Iris watched as Rei bite her lip, smile growing wider as Rei squirmed in her seat.

"She has an interesting story doesn't she? You could say that it's almost like yours… Except it's much better. She, whose upbringing is just as bad as yours, made the same friends you did on an all too similar adventure. She, who had her own inner demons, was able to make peace with them and obtain the power of one's soul, a Persona, making her more like the friends you share. She even got to fight alongside them for longer, giving her more time to develop her bonds with them. I would say that all of this girl's actions had a far greater impact on them than any of yours." Iris explained.

"And another things about this girl, she's a MACHINE. Unlike you, she can't get sick at all and would survive any kind of disease. How must you feel about that? Where you got cut down by some plague Apollo and the others refused to cure for some reason, this girl can just brush it off like some dirt on her shoulder. So she could live forever if she wanted to, where you kicked the bucket in like what? Sixteen, seventeen years? Talk about rubbing salt on open wounds am I right? I begin to wonder just why those friends of yours still let you hang out with them since they have someone that out does you in every single way." Eris added.

"And don't get me started on your fiancé! Listen, I know several mortal and god relationships that ended far more spectacularly than yours. Even then, the god half of the equation tends to screw over the mortals that they supposedly had any attachments to. They're all practically like cats, they play around with things until they get bored and toss it aside for something new. So your precious is just waiting for the moment to dump your ass for someone else entirely." Iris interrupted before Rei could say anything.

"Zen wouldn't do that…"

"Oh he would my dear, trust me. I've seen it happen far too many times, especially when it came to one particular king God dude. The guy ruined the lives of several men and women throughout the ages, and there are plenty of others who also did some pretty nasty things. And don't think he is capable of the same things, he did, after all, throw you into an emotional blender."

Rei slumped over, mind frayed from the whole conversation. All she wanted to do now was just sleep and wake up, hoping that everything is just a bad dream. But deep down, she knew she wasn't anywhere close to home and all her optimism is gone in the face of this uncertainty.

"But that's what I think. GO ahead, second child, tell me what I said is all wrong. Tell me that you deny these feelings that you are no doubt feeling."

Despite feeling weak and having her own faith broken up, Rei continued to cling on some semblance of her sanity and determination. "You're wrong… That's a lie…"

Iris looked over to the bloody Rei laying on the operating table and saw something different about the corpse… Her eyes were open… Revealing a shining golden color…

Iris smirked.

 **This is going to be a fun night…**

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 9. Now all the characters are on stage and the story is truly starting now. But my questions is how do you - wait, how did you get... NO WAIT! YOU KEEP THAT TUNA AWAY FROM ME! SHIT! HELP!**

 **...**

 **Whew that was tough, you had no idea the favors I had to pull just to get here. BUT I DID IT! I TOOK OVER THE AUTHOR'S COMMENT BOX!**

 **What? You don't know who I am? I'm the hot ass bitch who showed up this chapter! You know!? Anyway, I'll be taking over these sections for the rest of this story, so get used to this lovely voice because you'll be hearing it a lot.  
**

 **So why don't you give props to Mr. Writer for writing the story? Leave a nice comment, some harsh criticisms, or something, I'm sure he can take it all in, I know I could. You can't tell but I'm winking right now, stupid text only format. I guess I'll just stick to writing out my faces like it's a text message from now on. Le sigh... :(  
**

 **But tune in next week for some robot reflection and scanners of plot advancement!**

 **Now if you'll excuse me, there are some vending machines that are in need of liberating.**

 **Ciao ciao~**


	10. Chapter 10: Restless

**I don't own these characters blah blah blah blah.**

 **This world is my own yada yada yada.**

 **OOC in bound or something.**

* * *

FINALIZING DIAGNOSTICS. DISPLAYING RESULTS.

MOTOR FUNCTIONS: OKAY

SENSORY INPUTS: OKAY

PERSONA MATRIX: OKAY

MOOD ANALYSIS: STRESSED

ENGAGE FULL SLEEP MODE? (Y/N)

No. Disengage sleep mode.

WARNING: DISENGAGING SLEEP MODE NOW MAY WORSEN YOUR STRESS DUE TO LACK OF REST

CONTINUE ANYWAY? (Y/N).

Yes

DISENGAGING…

Labrys opened her eyes as she felt the chair underneath her lower, the sounds of the surrounding machines exercised her groggy senses. Reaching around to the back of her head, she pulled out the wire that connected her to the terminal.

Looking around the room, Labrys sighed at the mess that it has become and the thought of dealing with it isn't helping her mood. "I shouldn't have told the cleaning staff to skip my room… But that's not the point right now…"

Labrys looked at the other terminal in the room, the one housing her other body, and noticed that the damages were almost completely repaired. "Computer, what's the repair progress?"

"98%. ALL REPAIRS WILL CEASE UPON COMPLETION IN APPROXIMATELY 32 MINUTES. A DIAGNOSTICS TEST WILL BE PERFORMED SHORTLY AFTERWARD TO ENSURE ALL SYSTEMS ARE FIT FOR USE."

"Thank you."

"YOUR WELCOME."

Labrys sighed and faced her other body, resting soundly as machines continued to work on the damaged areas. She touched the glass separating the two with a sigh. "Please hurry up and get better soon, there might be big trouble coming our way…"

And then there was the whole Rei getting kidnapped thing…

"I meet Mom today… Kind of wished that I didn't bust you up so badly, you know, give a better first impression to the person who practically created us... Not that it mattered since I managed to scare her because I used her real name."

Labrys clenched her hand into a tight fist, pressing her mechanical knuckles against the glass. "How could I make a mistake like that? We share her memories, good, bad, all of it… How could I not remember?"

"And what's worse is that she suddenly goes missing… What am I doing? Is this how I repay her after all she has done for me? Some daughter I am…" Labrys sighed.

…

"And I really got to stop talking to myself when I'm depressed…" Labrys said, removing her fist off the glass.

"Computer, notify me when transfer is available, I'll be taking a walk."

"OF COURSE." The computer answered as Labrys left the room.

The hallways were nearly empty, as one would expect since it was almost three in the morning. Walking down the corridors towards the command room, Labrys occupied herself with some lingering thoughts concerning the events of the evening.

"What was that… Force? It was only there for a second, but it was strong. And what's weirder was that it just disappeared from the city completely, even Fuuka-san or Rise-san couldn't find it. This isn't right, those two should be able to find anything as long as it's within range, and their range is huge. Just what could get away that quickly without a trace?" Labrys thought.

The thought quickly turned to another fact that made her frown. "What's more is that Mom wasn't anywhere in the city either… She completely disappeared from the city just like that force...Stolen from all of us in a blink of an eye…"

Labrys balled her hands into tight fists, so much so that the sound of groaning metal can be faintly heard.

"Somehow that force and Mom are related, in a bad way. That much is obvious. And whatever this force is, it's way stronger than any Shadow or Shadow cultists we've dealt with before. But I swear, if Mom has a single hair out of place… It doesn't matter who they are or who they think they are, I'm going to rip their arms off and club them with it."

Arriving to the Command room, the doors slid open and Labrys could see that it was as busy as ever. It was here that the Shadow Operative start their missions, to be briefed on whatever triggered the sensors that were planted all over Sanctuary to monitor shadow activity. Thanks to the Shadow's rather unique energy signature, this makes watching over their nests and any occurrences related to them rather easy. However, due to the specificity of the equipment, not many could repair it when it breaks down. Adding to the fact that the parts for the repairs costs more than a pretty penny to fabricate, even for the Kirijo Group, the Shadow Operatives would always try to get as much information out of these sensors as possible.

And thus there is always constant activity within the Command room, even during the witching hour.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Labrys turned to face the voice, seeing a well-dressed man with sharp eyes approach.

"You look like you could use some shut eye yourself Mr. Kurosawa." Labrys replied, noticing the dark rings under the man's eyes.

"Well you got me there, I didn't leave the police force for something like this. Though not much has changed to be honest, at least the coffee is much better than what the station could afford."

"Still don't get why coffee's a thing. Anyway, how does it look? Got any hits?"

"Afraid not, this thing is giving us all the slip. We called everyone, even the Lords, Ladies, and Town Leaders, to see if there is anything strange going on in their area. And other than the initial… Feeling, there was absolutely nothing."

"…Is there anything in the records?"

"Absolutely nothing, the energy signature was vastly different and larger than anything we've been keeping. And the fact that it disappeared so quickly after it appeared only makes it harder to figure out what it is. There are only a few people on this planet capable of doing this disappearing act, but they could never exert this much energy. To be honest, it kind of felt like a taunt. Almost as if the culprit is asking us to find them, knowing that they won't be caught easily." Kurosawa explained.

"But what made the force thing in the first place? All this talk and we still don't have any guesses?"

"My personal bet is that, whatever we're dealing with, it's a god or something that's god-like."

That possibility made some sense. Labrys thought back to her adventures during her days among the living, specifically during the P-1 Climax incident when Hi-No-Kagutsuchi was summoned in the very end. The presence of the Japanese Fire God was oppressive and absurdly strong, almost as if there was a great oak on top of you. And that pressure was much like the force that appeared that evening. But unlike that event, nothing occurred beforehand that led up to the sudden appearance of the force. No weird fighting tournament, no blood red fog, no giant tower, just the everyday, routine, and mundane lives of the people of Sanctuary.

There was one thing however that could be related to this… There were kidnappings for the past several weeks with no witnesses or leads, pushing the police to their limits to solve. Rei was kidnapped on the same night that the force appeared, surely that isn't a coincidence. Though that only raises more questions, specifically why that force only appeared after Rei was kidnapped. And Labrys humored Kurosawa's idea that the sudden oppressive feeling was… A… Taunt…

Labrys' eyes went wide with another idea. That feeling wasn't a taunt, but rather it was a signal to something… Something big and something dangerous…

Alarms began going off and the whole room began flashing red, the main monitor in the room immediately began showing images of a mountain with reddish black clouds swirling above.

"We're receiving activity from Sector E-38, multiple sensors has been triggered. The location is the Minoan Caverns, the energy signature is the same as the one this evening, this is the one."

Before anything from the mountain could be observed, the screen went to static.

"What happened?"Labrys asked.

"All surrounding sensors were destroyed, most likely an overload. Hold on, we have an incoming message…"

The sound of ringing phones, both building and personal, began resounding through the room, causing all to stop and take a look. Even Labrys was receiving a message through both her internal Emergency Transceiver and her cellphone, causing her to examine both.

COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S** COM **E** F **I** ND M **E** YOU **S** C **R** UB **S**

-Love, dawEddIncRaSha

P.S. :^)

"If you wanted a taunt Mr. Kurosawa, I think we just got it." Labrys commented.

"I want all the Shadow Operatives mobilized immediately! And begin contacting the other armies for support! The mission has started!" Kurosawa commanded.

"The members of the Auxiliary Army are already on route to the AO the moment we got the reading. Primary has begun mobilizing their forces as well, with an order for an Eclipse Pattern perimeter to be established."

"Of course it would be a double encirclement… What are you still doing here Labrys!? Get moving!" Kurosawa yelled.

"Yes sir!" Labrys shouted before running out of the room.

As Labrys began running back to her room to prepare, an electronic voice rang in her head.

"REPAIRS AND DIAGNOSTICS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. ALL PERSONAL CALIBRATIONS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED. YOUR OLYMPIA MARK VII CHASIS IS NOW COMBAT READY."

"Alright, prepare mind transfer protocols, I want to be in that body as soon as possible."

"WILL DO."

Labrys' stride grew faster and wider, her mind now focused on one sole thing, on one goal that was there since the evening, on one person ever since she met her…

"Hang on Mom, I'm coming for you!"

* * *

 **And that is the end of Chapter 10! You like my message to the scrub patrol? I like sending spam to random people, it gets them so mad... Especially if they hate the stuff like that one skit in that one comedy thing!**

 **Anyway, how did the big writer guy do here? Come on, give the guy a comment or something because it will help him help you make the story a better read. So give him a sign, a like, or a subscribe or something and it might just come back to you or something... That was supposed to be karma proverb but there was nothing that i can't think of off the top of my head.**

 **But that about does it for this week... Stay tuned to see a man on a mission suit up to rescue his girl with the vague help of a mysterious hallway guy who shakes his hand!**

 **Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to harass the fuzz.**

 **Bye bye~**


	11. Chapter 11: Preparations for Danger

**Don't own the characters, do own the world, and OOC is possible.**

* * *

Without hesitation, Zen immediately grabbed his crossbow off the coffee table and aimed into the darkness surrounding him. His breath was still as his eyes scanned from left to right for anything that dared to move in the inky cover. With his free hand, Zen reached towards the chain hanging above his head and gave it a pull. The lights came on, banishing the night with a flash of mellow gold light. Zen looked around once more, but nothing in the apartment was out of place nor was there any signs of an intruder on the windows or doors. Right now, everything was as normal as it could be…

But Zen could feel it in the distance, an unease that couldn't be described with simple words. Not that the unease could make Zen feel any worse than he did, having barely slept knowing that his love is out there somewhere. Though something about this force, this storm in the distance, that was drawing Zen towards it. And he thought that maybe, just maybe, Rei would be in that direction. Whether or not that is true or false, Zen wouldn't know until he investigated wherever that unease was located.

Zen got up from the couch and began changing out of his clothes to something more appropriate for battle. Which is the same as his normal casual clothes except they were treated in a resin that increased the toughness of the fabric and had hard leather sewed into it for extra protection. The patch work nature of the attire wasn't particularly pleasant to the eyes, but how it appeared didn't matter since Zen wore a cloak over it.

Speaking of which, Zen brought out one that he uses when he knows there will be prolonged combat, a truly unique article. Completely handmade, the cloak and hood has three layers to it with each one being a different material. The inner layer is made with denim, the center is made with leather, and the outer is made with cotton-steel, a material like nylon but found in nature, all treated in a dark resin that made the layers both strong, durable, and flexible. The inner layer even has pouches that can hold extra bolts for Zen's crossbow, making this cloak Zen's second most prized creation.

After fastening the cloak around his neck, he began removing three loose floor boards and reveal a line of pouches neatly tucked in like books on a shelf. Each were labeled with a single word written in black marker on white tape, a variety of bolts for any kind of enemy. Fire, ice, lightning, explosive, acid, and many others kinds, Zen begins to put several of them on his person. Finally, he pulled out crossbow parts and began assembling them together, this one being much larger than his other, pistol sized crossbow. Like his cloak and some of his other belongings, these two crossbows are also handmade and Zen considers them to be his third most prized creation. The two bows are named Hours and Minutes, with Hours being the smaller but stronger one, and Minutes being the larger but faster one.

Before placing the floor boards back, Zen saw an old shoe box and decided to take it out. Opening the box, Zen stared at the remnants of a worn yellow collar adorned with spikes and white flower hair pins. This was the collar Rei and a few others had made during their adventures in the Fake Yasogami in the Rift, a gift that represented Rei's appreciation and love for Zen. Ever since receiving it, Zen never took it off and it helped him persevere through the rest of that adventure. Zen kept wearing it when he and Rei found themselves on Sanctuary, continuing to show his love for Rei. Naturally, the constant usage deteriorated the collar as each day made a bit of damage appear on the item. Not helping the fact that some of the damage came from fights with both people and wild life, scaring the band of leather with cuts and burns. The collar finally broke apart in a long battle against a particularly dangerous bounty, causing Zen to keep whatever remained as a memento.

And for that reason, Zen pocketed one of the pieces knowing that he will need the luck and motivation. After placing the shoe box and floor boards back, Zen took the first aid kit, canteen, and a packet dried fruit out of the closet and stowed it in one of his cloak's pouches. That is all the preparations he could think of needing, looking around once more, he put on his engagement ring, turned off the light, and headed for the door.

The moment he opened the door however, Zen spotted a man leaning on the opposite wall. Dressed in purple and lavender, the man wore a serene expression as a calming aura radiated off his person. Despite his elegance, charming appearance, and very high prestige, this man tends to simply fade into the background until he decides to step forward. Zen just stood there, simply staring at the man as he wondered just why someone so important was before him. Though to be honest, when one has the Grand Seer of Sanctuary standing outside their door, something is definitely up and they are involved somehow.

"Alvis." Zen said, getting the man's attention.

"Terrible night for a storm yes?" Alvis asked.

"I suppose… This has something to do with Rei doesn't it?"

"I'll let you find out yourself. After all, tonight is a night of hardship."

"Did you come all this way just to tell me that?"

"Of course not, I came here to wish you luck." Alvis answered, extending out his hand.

Zen, without hesitation, grabbed the man's hand and gave a firm shake. One doesn't simply leave the Grand Seer hanging, especially if he is wishing you luck as it is almost certain that you will be needing it. Once the two broke their contact, Alvis walked off, turned the corner, and left Zen in the quiet hallway.

Zen then looked at his hand and noticed that there was a folded piece of paper resting in his palm. Curious, he opened the sheet up and read its contents.

"I hereby grant the owner of this form, Zen, the highest level of clearance towards the current situation at hand. Signed, The Grand Seer of Sanctuary, Alvis." He read, noticing that, along with his signature, the paper also had Alivis' official seal.

Zen smiled as he folded the paper up and put it in his pocket, glad that he had someone looking out for him in this time of uncertainty. As he locked the apartment door, he began chanting another incantation.

"Hermes, patron of thieves and travelers, grant me your blessing. Let the winds be at my back, push me towards the horizon and the world beyond. Have my feet tread the earth like the clouds rolling across the sky, send my soul to the heart of the storm. Iris, bringer of the seven colors, cast your light upon me. Let me soar through the night upon your wings hidden within the gentle breeze. Guide me through the midnight ink and towards the danger hidden in the darkness. Chronos, governor of time, I call to you. Expand the passage of time, allow the sands to dance, to torrent, and to flow around me. Turn the hours to minutes and minutes to seconds, let no moment be wasted in this time of tribulation."

Zen could feel it, the wind whirled all around as the world became a slug to him. With a single step, he launched himself down the hall at incredible speeds. With another step, Zen turned and bounced down the stairway using the walls. And with another, Zen flew out of the apartment's entrance like a phantom. Now with each next footfall, he danced through the crawling night crowd and traffic, making his way towards the distant storm.

No one knew what dashed through the streets that night. But it leapt through them like a panther pouncing at its prey, and descended upon them like a crow before taking flight once more. One thing was certain though, they felt the courage and conviction of the black blur that slipped into the night.

As for Zen, he only focused on what was waiting for him. And who was waiting for him.

"Wait for me Rei, I'll be there soon."

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 11! Yeah! Here comes the knight in shining armor! Move out of the way as he hunts for his princess! Though did he really needs the help of that mystery hallway dude? I mean he could find his way to me without any problems so why? Oh well, no point in figuring that out!**

 **Also that dude is from the game Xenoblade Chronicles. The original and not the one with the X. Though I heard that both of them were pretty good from the writer dude's bro, go check them out.  
**

 **Anyway, get to writing some sick ass critiques of this chapter! The writer guy could use something for all the effort he is pumping into this little fic. It's the little things that will take this story to next level. So hit that like and subscribe button and you too will know when more content will be on display! Stay alert and stay healthy dear readers!**

 **Next week we have a bunch assholes assembling all up in my business like those American hero peeps! So stayed tune and check that out!**

 **Sayonara viewers! I'm off to become a dancing queen!**


	12. Chapter 12: Labryinth of Chaos

**Characters not mine, world is mine, and characters maybe nuts... Probably.**

* * *

Mitsuru's eyes remained closed, feeling the slight bumps and bounce of the road as the limo was speeding down a dirt road surrounded by trees draped in night. She was trying to get whatever rest she could before having to do battle with enemies that know nothing but destruction. To her left was Akihiko, wrapped up in a red cloak from his training days, trying to do much of the same. And across from them was Aigis and Labrys, both communicating information to both the remaining Shadow Operatives, who were following them in jeeps, and the Armies that have set up a perimeter around the anomaly.

When there is no communication between the Armies and Operatives, the two Robot Girls were talking amongst themselves. Whilst Aigis spoke calmly about eccentric subjects, as usual, Labrys sounded more impatient and worried, which was strange. Mitsuru, as leader of the Shadow Operatives and as a friend, wanted to address whatever was stewing within Labrys and help her with her troubles.

But then again, Mitsuru hasn't exactly counseled anyone in a long while, mostly due to having people among the Kirijo Group who handled those kinds of problems. And Labrys had AIgis, a younger sister, who she could confide in and was closer to, making it bit harder to manage if it's a personal matter.

For now, there were bigger issues to worry about. There has been speculation amongst the staff about the cause of the conflict they are currently facing, and the most popular one seems to be a God or a God-like being. It was a good assumption given the readings, but everyone is still uncertain as to how this being appeared without any kind of warning.

Thinking back to the past, during the days amongst the living, the demented tower of Tartarus was the sign that Nyx, Mother of Shadows, would come and destroy the world in an event known as The Fall. According to Narukami, the facets of the Shinto Goddess Izanami was heralded by a strange fog and the sudden airing of the Midnight Channel. Then there was the Hi-No-Kagutsuchi, who was heralded by one Sho Minazuki and his P-1 Grand Prix and P-1 Climax, with the former starting with Labrys' kidnapping. And through the later years, the cases had some kind of sign, usually paranormal, that lead to the culprit and the resolution.

But in this case, there was absolutely nothing that lead to the appearance of this anomaly. The only events that lead to this point were standard kidnapping cases, no elements of the supernatural. It was only when Rei disappeared and the appearance of that sudden force that the Shadow Operatives began preparing to investigate, only to be thrusted into battle before anyone was ready.

In hindsight, the circumstances behind the kidnappings had been too perfect. Twenty four people, including Rei, disappeared over the course of four days, each one only had a one or two witnesses, excluding Rei who had none, and each one was from a different place on Sanctuary. What's more is that the victims had zero connections to any criminals, none of them had any political power, and over half of them aren't obscenely wealthy, meaning their value as a ransom is close to zero.

Not that this reflection helps the Shadow Operatives as the problem already sprouted before anyone knew what was really going on. For Mitsuru, she read these events and circumstances as a measure to the strength and cunning of the foe they're going to inevitably face. A foe that could easily be their most difficult enemy in a long, long time…

"Mitsuru – senpai, we have arrived." Aigis said.

Mitsuru opened her eyes as the limo came to a stop, she could feel the oppression in the air and the unease radiating off the ground. "When was the last time we were in a place so intense?" Akihiko asked.

"To be honest, the last place I would even consider is between Tartarus and the TV world, though this location is quickly climbing the ranks. Come, we have work to do." Mitsuru answered, stepping out of the vehicle. An assortment of people ran back and forth past Mitsuru and her flashy vehicle, shouting orders of different kinds that ranged from munitions to messages from their superiors. The scene could almost make one panic at first sight, but to Mitsuru and the Shadow Operatives, this chaos was nothing new and thus treated the tumult with cautious ease.

"Let's see… We have the Samurai Hunters of Mikado and the Hunters of Vale running about. So we're dealing with Grimm and Demons, possibly Shadows since both just loves hanging around them. There are probably a ton of the bastards just lurking beneath us right now." Akihiko noted.

"Then we have our work cut out for us Akihiko. Where are the others?" Mitsuru asked.

"Pulling up right now." Labrys answered, pointing behind them.

Four jeeps rolled out of the night forest onto the scene, parking themselves either behind the limo or to its side. And when the doors opened, out came the Shadow Operatives with varying degrees of exhaustion painting their faces. While some were better at downplaying their fatigue like Naoto, who already works tiring hours as a detective, some couldn't hide squat like Junpei, who looked like he needed a bed.

"Uggghhhh… Who the hell is up summoning demons at this time!?" Junpei complained.

"They don't call it the witching hour for nothing." Minato replied.

"Do your job if you want some sleep." Shinjiro added bluntly.

"That's harsh senpai… Isn't anyone else tired?" Junpei asked.

"We're all tired Junpei-san, but I think a demon vortex from nowhere is a bit more important than sleep." Yu answered, gesturing to the swirling clouds above them.

"Why do we have to work on the night I get smashed up…?" Rise groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Rise-san, it wasn't alcohol. Still, we should probably start analyzing the area." Naoto said, looking around the chaos.

"I was taking care of it the moment I stepped off the jeep." Fuuka replied from within her Persona.

"Good initiative Yamagishi. While Kujikawa continues to recuperate, give us an initial scan of the perimeters." Mitsuru commanded.

"Of course. First off, the outer perimeter has been fully secured and are currently holding off Grimm and Shadows. As for the other perime… Look out! We have company!" Fuuka began before shouting.

"A Beowolf got through!" A voice shouted.

Heavy paws hit the ground loudly and the noise was frequent, making it sound like thrashing rain. Whipping themselves in the direction of the noise, Mitsuru and several other already had their hands on their Evoker as they saw a black werewolf-like beast with long but thick arms, eyes like flames, bone white spikes, and a red marked skull mask running towards them. The beast leapt into the air, pulling its arm back in preparation for a wide swipe. The moment Mitsuru pulled her Evoker out and placed it on her temple, an emerald light pierced the monster and cast it aside.

"Now I wonder how a Beowolf of all things snuck through our defenses. It must have been quite stealthy if I could catch us all off guard." An amused voice said as Mitsuru lowered her Evoker. To the right of the Shadow Operatives, a white haired man dressed in a forest green suit was walking towards them, his walking stick systematically hitting the ground as he approached.

"Headmaster Ozpin, I thank you for the assistance." Mitsuru thanked with a nod.

"There is no need to thank me Ms. Kirijo, I was simply doing my job as a Huntsman." Ozpin replied.

"Modest as always. What's the situation?"

"Well Ms. Kirijo, whilst I explain our findings so far to you, why not let your friends start preparing for battle. And have them help themselves to some of our provisions, they all could use a pick me up." The Headmaster answered.

"You sure? Some of us could get out of hand when it involves free goods."

"It's fine. We all need to be in top shape if we are going to make it through the night in one piece. So please, don't hesitate to take anything you need off of us."

"WOOOOHHHHH! Free coffee!" Junpei shouted before running off.

"Other way Mr. Iori." Ozpin said nonchalantly.

"Right!"

"I'll stay here with Fuuka-chan, got to start pulling my weight around…" Rise said, putting the Evoker to her head.

"Kanzeon!" Rise yelled, pulling the trigger. Blue light erupt around her, a figure in a black and white striped dress emerged from the azure. With a red colored visor in hand, the figure placed it around Rise's eyes before it started to look around with its satellite dish like face, the two satellite dishes attached to her hip also began moving.

"I'll be here trying to dig deep into the cavern, see what exactly we're up against."

"Okay, you want me to get you anything?" Yu asked.

"Just some aspirin and water, this headache won't do anyone any good."

With a nod, Yu and the Shadow Operatives began walking away to either refresh or arm themselves, leaving Mitsuru, Fuuka, Rise, and the Headmaster behind. "Now, onto business. The caverns run deep into the earth and spans into numerous tunnel networks, making this place a labyrinth." Ozpin began.

"Of course, it is called the Minoan Caverns for that reason. Named after a civilization back on Earth who made the famous myth of the labyrinth and the Minotaur." Mitsuru replied.

"I've read about it, but not the point. This cavern is being effected by the energy of the storm and has expanded greatly, making all previous maps unusable. My Hunters has already made several forays into the caverns and mapped out the first twenty five levels, take a look." Ozpin continued before pulling out sending something through his scroll.

Mitsuru took out her phone and saw several detailed drawings of the caves below, taking note on how truly maze like it was. The sight of the hand drawn maps was a bit nostalgic though, it reminded her of the times she and the Shadow Operatives spent inside the Labyrinths with Zen and Rei.

"Is there an estimation to the depth of the caverns?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yes, but we're only halfway into this maze. Apparently, the farther we go down, the more Shadows that begin appearing in the places of Grimm and Demons. Whilst my Hunters and Commander Flynn's Samurai Hunters are certainly capable, Shadows are different and engagement with them tends to drag on."

"And that is why you called us to be at center stage."

"Exactly. That's all I have for you Ms. Kirijo. Now if you excuse me, I have to continue to direct my Hunters and continue to keep watch." Ozpin said.

Both gave a small bow to the other before the Headmaster attended to his own matters. Mitsuru took another look at the map and began memorizing the quirks of caverns, knowing that they will be the ones going into the depths. But whilst examining the maps, a call came up, forcing Mitsuru to answer.

"Mitsuru speaking."

"I apologize if I'm interrupting anything important, but we have a suspicious individual on site. He has a note from the Grand Seer that allows him the highest level of clearance in the area but I'm not buying it. Your orders?" A voice asked.

"Bring the person here, someone with the signature and seal of the Grand Seer isn't anyone ordinary. And do not provoke him, we don't know what they're capable of."

"Of course, Ma'am. We'll be there in a moment."

"Yamagishi, we have an unknown individual that is being escorted here. Is there anything you could tell me about this person before their arrival?"

"Give me a moment… Huh? It's not an unknown, it's Zen-kun!" Fuuka replied.

The sounds of rolling tires got Mitsuru's attention, causing her to turn to the noise. She saw a cart pull up with two guards sitting in the front and Zen sitting in the back, looking both impatient and grim.

"Ms. Kirijo, this is the person I was talking about. What is your call?" One of the guards asked as he, his partner, and Zen stepped out.

"I know this man, so you may return to your post." Mitsuru answered.

"You sure? This guy seems a little… Aggressive to know someone like you." The other guard asked.

"I said go!"

"Yes Ma'am!" The two shouted before clambering into the cart and driving away quickly.

With a sigh, Mitsuru turned to Zen. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, usually everyone knows that the Grand Seer's permission isn't something to doubt."

"Well Alvis is both known and unknown to the world. So anything that he does will be taken with a grain of salt by anyone who isn't familiar with him." Zen explained.

"Still, to have the Grand Seer's permission… Does this have something to do with Rei?"

"He didn't say so directly. But I assumed by pointing me in this direction, he knows that Rei is here. Not that his input would have mattered since I was on my way here anyway. I needed confirm some suspicions I had concerning Rei and the force we experienced last evening."

"If Rei is in these caverns, then Yamagishi and Kujikawa should be able to sense her. In fact, give me a status report Kujikawa!" Mitsuru replied before turning her attention to the two girls.

"Not so loudly please… The place runs deep, that's for sure. At least fifty levels deep. Each level has multiple connections to the floors above and below it. And with each level, it gets bigger and bigger until level thirty, in which the level size remains constant. But from forty eight and onward, there are some large chambers, which means that something is definitely waiting for us in them." Rise noted.

"Anything else?"

"Both of us looked over this place many times to be sure, but there are people trapped down there. From the Twenty sixth floor onward, there is someone trapped somewhere on that level. There is a person down on the last floor, but I can't tell who it is; something is blocking me." Fuuka answered.

"Yeah, I'm getting the same thing. Whatever it is, it doesn't want us peeking in on its secrets." Rise said.

"Then that one is definitely Rei. Or at least, that one is most likely Rei given the evidence we have on the situation." Zen replied.

"Then we shall see to it that she returns to you unharmed."

"And I will make sure that comes to pass by coming with you."

Before Mitsuru argues against Zen's involvement because of protocol and regulations, she thought back to the time of the labyrinths, on the moments where Zen displayed his wide variety of skills and magic. And that skill set should have only grew during his time on Sanctuary, so it would be foolish not to bring along the former God of Time.

"I hope you're ready, it won't be easy." Mitsuru said.

"I don't expect it to be." Zen replied, opening his cloak to reveal all his armaments.

"Woah man, don't you think that's a bit much!?"

Mitsuru and Zen turned to see the other Shadow Operatives, all geared up and raring to go. Except Labrys for some reason, probably something to do with a thing that robots do. But everyone else is looking strong and Zen could feel their power radiating off of each and every one of them. Though some were dressed rather strangely, Akihiko wasn't even wearing something to protect his chest, not even a shirt. Zen looked at Mitsuru and saw that she was wearing a white fur coat over a black leather bodysuit, how did he not see that before now? And is Junpei… Vibrating? "Is he okay?" Zen asked, pointing at Junpei.

"He just got himself jacked up on coffee. Seriously, ten cups? That's way too much for someone like you to handle." Yukari replied.

"Is it even okay for him to fight in that state?"

"He'll be fine. By the time the coffee runs out, he'll be running on adrenaline. Besides, having the jitters keeps you on your toes, see." Yosuke answered, tossing one of his knives at the man. Junpei twitched to the side, allowing the knife to sail past him and into the ground. "See, perfectly okay." Yosuke added, walking over to pick up the knife. "Then I won't comment on it any further. I have been meaning to ask, but where is Labrys?" Zen replied.

"Present and accounted for."

Zen turned to the voice and was surprised at the girl that he saw. It was Labrys, but all of her obvious mechanical parts were gone and in their place was flesh, organic looking skin. The real surprise though was the amount of weapons that she was carrying on her person. In her hands was an M249 SAW, slung around her shoulder was an M4 Carbine mounted with a grenade launcher, strapped to her thighs were a Beretta M9 and a .44 Magnum, on her chest was a six inch hunting knife, and on her back was a folded great axe. And that is not counting the amount of munitions and other equipment that she is carrying, making Labrys look rather terrifying despite the fact that she is still wearing a relatively short skirt.

"The hell!? What is all that!?" Yosuke asked.

"About a thousand or so words I have to say to the culprit. You know, the usual nonsense."

"Sister, you never needed that many armaments on a mission before. Usually it's extra pistol rounds and two more grenades, but nothing to this extent. What changed?" Aigis commented.

"After Fuuka and Rise gave us the mission info, I decided to make this a bit more personal."

"A bit?" Ken asked, still staring at all of Labrys' weapons.

"Look, why does it matter that I'm armed to the teeth for my personal reasons? We have people to save and that's all there is to it."

"I won't disagree with that, but you going off on a personal quest has its own risks. You're more likely to make mistakes and you will put yourself and everyone else in danger. I still remember what happened to Yu-senpai during the Inaba Case when his cousin Nanako became one of the victims. Senpai made an error and it put us all out of commission for a few days. We saved her in the end, but some of the injuries we received could have been avoided had we used more caution." Naoto explained.

"If this is about Rei-chan then don't worry. She's our friend too, so we'll be giving it our all to rescue her." Yukiko added.

"Rei is more important to me than that… It's the reason why I'm going all out…"

"If she's not your friend then what is she to you? We're not going anywhere until we're all on the same page as you." Akihiko asked.

Labrys gave a pensive look before letting out a sigh. "Okay. The reason I'm so gung-ho about this whole thing is because Rei something more than just a friend to me… She's my mom, the one who made me."

Surprise took over most of the group's faces, they looked at each other in confusion as Yu, Minato, Shinjiro, and Aigis remained unperturbed. "I see, that makes so much sense." Aigis replied in her usual tone.

"Wait, what? Could someone break it down for me before I get lost?" Chie asked, still confused.

"Christ… Rei was a girl who was stuck in a hospital for most of her life because of some incurable disease. That sounds exactly like Labrys' mom, who was a girl stuck in a hospital because of some disease. It's not that hard draw the connections." Shinjiro replied.

"But didn't Rei die after Labrys was built? So she couldn't have been part of those experiments that lead up to that." Kanji asked.

"Rei's death date has nothing to do with sister's creation date Kanji-san. So long as Rei was born before sister's creation, then she should have been old enough to be part of the experiments that created the 5th generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons." Aigis explained.

"Oh... Right, that makes sense."

"It's not that hard to connect the dots, didn't any of you figure it out?" Shinjiro asked.

"Nope." "Not at all." "Sadly no…" "That whole thing just blew my mind." "I didn't even consider it." "Sorry Shinji, had no idea."

"For the love of! How about you Mitsuru? You should have read something on Labrys and the 5th gen experiments."

"Unfortunately, most of the documents concerning that project were either lost, damaged, or corrupted due to Labrys'… Justifiable actions against the researchers. The notes that did survive were mostly written after she was sealed away, so I wouldn't know a thing about Labrys besides her technical aspects."

"What about you two? Surely you guys are smart enough to put two and two together." Shinji sighed, turning to Yu and Minato.

"Labrys told us." The two answered.

Shinjiro simply buried his face in one hand in complete disappointment and began mumbling. "Surrounded by idiots."

"Can we all talk about this later!? The longer we stand around, the longer Mom and a bunch of other people stay trapped in that hell hole! And I swear, if something happens to her before we get there, I'll be personally kicking your asses!" Labrys shouted.

"She's right, I won't allow Rei to be in there any longer than necessary. So please drop the discussion and let's get going before I charge in there by myself." Zen replied.

"Then you two do not need to wait any longer, we're moving out right now!" Mitsuru yelled, turning to face the cavern's entrance.

The Shadow Operatives began walking forward, Labrys and Zen looked at one another and gave an affirmed nod to the other. And with a strong step forward, the two took off to find the person whom they hold dear.

"Hang on, we're coming for you"

"Rei." "Mom."

* * *

 **Chapter 12 done and done. Look at these nerds, trying to avengers assemble against the awesome I pull. I mean, they got a professor of all things to join the fight and I'm not exactly afraid of him... Sort of. But I'll be waiting for them at the bottom at the pit, doing all the villain tropes while they come to me. Maybe get a cat and start practicing my menacing stroking...**

 **Another point, Mr. Ozpin is from a web series called RWBY, created by by Rooster Teeth and the Late Monty Oum. It's a 3D Anime webseries about fairy tale inspired girls going to high school while uncovering a criminal conspiracy. There are three seasons so far but it's pretty good, go check it out.**

 **Anyway, the same things are said here as last week so I won't put anything here, I trust you dudes and babes to write something. Nice or not, better than nothing at all.  
**

 **Stay tuned next week for exposition and spoilers about things from the source material told from the eyes of a fan!**

 **Adios! I have some drinks that need to be drank and hangovers to be had!**


	13. Chapter 13: Bonding Between Spirits

**Characters? No. World? Yes. Characters in character? Maybe...**

* * *

The oppression within the cavern was suffocating, like a dense smoke that robbed both sight and air from those stood inside. Even though the Shadow Operatives were at full strength, they could feel their energy slowly being sucked out of their bodies.

"The energy is even worse in here… Yet I doubt it's enough to deter us from the task. How are the rest of you feeling?" Mitsuru asked, turning to her fellow Operatives.

"I don't know Senpai, it's like I'm up to neck in mud." Junpei replied.

"Didn't anyone who went in say anything about this? I don't think this is something that can be ignored." Minato asked.

"No, I didn't hear anyone mention anything about the atmosphere in these caverns. Kujikawa, Yamagishi, go and ask someone about their experiences inside here." Mitsuru ordered.

"On it." Fuuka replied.

"You all should get going before you are forced to come back, all you're vitals are slowly dropping… Except Zen's for some reason." Rise replied.

They all turned to the cloaked man and saw that his eyes were closed and he was chanting something.

"Apollo, father of daylight, cast your rays upon our skins. Cure the ailments that afflicts us as we venture into the darkness. Persephone, maiden of youth, offer your blessing to me and to those who fight by my side. Breathe life into our breasts and grant us the vitality for the battles ahead. Ares, master of war, give us your courage. Fortify our wills against our foes as we march forward into the heart of danger. Hades, keeper of shadows, aid us with your strength. Shield us against the unknown darkness that lies within your kingdom and guide us through the earth to the roots of this evil."

A light began surrounding each one of the Operatives, the oppressive feeling that once choked them was now lifted and the colors on their faces brightened considerably. Even Junpei, who was jumpy and exhausted at the same time, began to regain his stability and moved like normal.

"What was that?" Chie asked.

"I was utilizing some of my lost powers. While they are far stronger than my normal skills, each of them requires an incantation that takes time to recite. The longer it is, the stronger the effect will be. However, should something interrupt me, no matter how close to I am to the end of the incantation, the power will not activate and I have to start again from the beginning. As for the incantation I had just done, it is to protect you all from the forces within this cavern and remove any ailments that you may have, both old and new."

"And what are you doing now?" Shinjiro asked.

Observing Zen, the Shadow Operatives watched him pour blue powder onto the ground, slowly drawing a circle. "I'm setting up a traveling rune, it will allow us to return to the mouth of this cave should we use those devices of yours... What were they called?"

"Goho-Ms. But they should work by themselves without the need for that." Yu replied.

"Based on the suspicions I have on the culprit, it won't work, at least not properly. Her power is immense and causing our equipment to malfunction shouldn't be too much of a chore for her."

"If you have a suspect, could you please tell us so that we may prepare in advance?" Naoto asked.

"I don't have concrete evidence of the true identity of the culprit, but you should know my suspicions. Her name is Eris, Humanity's concept of Strife and Discord given form. She is a highly unpredictable entity who is more than capable of pulling of an assortment mischief that usually ends in tragedy."

"Eris? As in the Greek Goddess that started the chain of events leading to the Trojan War?" Naoto asked.

"That… Doesn't sound good…" Yosuke commented.

"I thought it was started because of some woman getting kidnapped by some dude." Junpei said.

"Show's what you know Junpei. The real events that pushed the Greeks and the Trojans onto the path of war happened during the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, parents to the hero Achilles. Every god was invited, except one, which was Eris. And out of spite, she threw a gold apple into the party that was labeled 'to the fairest' and every goddess there started to fight for it." Akihiko replied.

"And from that point on, the numbers that fought for the apple reduced down to three, Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite. They all turned to Zeus for the final judgement, but he ultimately couldn't make a decision and passed the decision to a mortal, Paris of Troy. Each of the three promised different things to Paris, but he gave the apple to Aphrodite in the end for the hand of the most beautiful woman in Greece, Helen of Troy. Thus starting the war between the Greeks and the Trojans." Naoto finished.

"Is that story even true? I mean, it's something told by someone in a time where no one really knows what went on." Teddie asked.

"Hey, I shook hands with Izanami the Shinto Mother Goddess at a gas station when I first arrived in Inaba. So who knows what kinds of crazy things happened in the ancient world." Yu answered.

"You think there were Persona users from way back when?" Labrys asked.

"An even better question is why you are all still here? This circle takes a while to set up and you should all start making your way down. I'll catch up to the rest of you as soon as I'm finished." Zen said, still drawing patterns into the circle.

"You're right, let's get going. I'll be dividing us into teams along the way." Mitsuru replied, turning to go into the depths of the cavern. They all began following the red head with the new strength given to them by Zen, nodding to the man as they left. Labrys however, stayed behind for reasons unknown to Zen or anyone else.

"What's your reason for staying?" Zen asked.

"You need someone to watch your back as you do your little ritual."

"You and I both know that's not why for two reasons. One, you know I am more than capable of fending off whatever comes my way. And two, you seemed eager to rescue Rei minutes ago but now you want to hold back? What's the reason?"

"You got me, I just wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

"You, Mom, and some stuff about the two of you."

"That is something that could be done when I catch up. Don't you want to rescue Rei?"

"Of course I do! But between walking twenty five floors with people I already know and staying here to learn about someone I don't, I know what I would choose. Besides, we'll be fighting with each other a lot since we have the same goal. And I would like to know who has my back before going into the lair of some crazy psycho."

"You do make a good point… Fine, you can stay. But you might as well help me finish this so we can catch up to the others sooner." Zen replied, handing Labrys a bag of powder.

"What do I do?"

"Start drawing a gear shape around this whole circle, eight teeth. Once you're done, I'll put down the arcane torches that will allow this circle to be usable for the next hour."

"There's a time limit on this!? Then what good is setting it up?"

"I don't need to redraw the circle, just replace the arcane torches that powers it. But the overbearing force in this cavern is also hampering the effectiveness of other energies. So the maximum amount of time I can muster for this rune is one hour."

"Speaking of which, your powers isn't like anything I've seen. Sure there are so many weird powers and skills on this planet, but not many are like yours. The only person I can compare you to is that guy in purple who always talks around a subject and still gets his point across."

"Alvis? Yes, he is still a mystery to everyone who knows him. But you do have a point when you say my power is similar to his, though my energy signature is much weaker."

"Still have no idea what that actually means about you since I have no idea what that guy is."

"It means that I'm a God. Former God actually since I gave up my powers to be with Rei."

"Wait! A God!? How come no one mentioned something that important to me!?"

"Coincidence mostly, but I did share some information that would hint at my identity. I mentioned Eris before yes? I actually met her a few times as a God, that's why I know what her presence feels like."

"And she's the one who has Mom?"

"Based on the forces that radiates off of these walls, yes, Eris is the cause of this mess. But let me ask you something now."

"Go ahead, ask me anything."

"How is Rei your Mother? I have been thinking about that since you mentioned it, but Rei doesn't have the knowledge to build you nor could she physically birth someone like you. So could you explain?"

"Pffft! Did you really consider that? The birthing thing?" A smile began to creep on Labrys' face at the absurdity of Zen's words.

"Yes, but I shot that idea down once I gave it more thought. Though in all honesty, Hephaestus should be capable of doing such a thing. But that's going off topic."

"Right, right. Mom volunteered to be a part of an experiment that made the 5th generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons. When she was young, she couldn't leave the hospital because she was sick with something bad. Mom really wanted to make some kind of impact, but couldn't when she was stuck in bed for most of her days. So, when this experiment came about, Mom jumped at the chance to be a part of it. The white coats never gave her the real reason behind the experiments, but Mom still went through with it thinking it will help someone. The white coats began copying her memories and some of her personality before they were done and sent Mom off. With that data, the white coats began making the programs that would be put into the ASSWs. And one of them, was me." Labrys explained.

"A whole generation born from Rei's memories? That is unbelievable… But why hasn't Rei mentioned something this important to me?" Zen asked.

"Mom hasn't? That's weird, I don't think she would forget something like that given how important it was."

"Are you sure Rei is your Mother?" Zen's brows wrinkled as he looked at the robot, his eyes had shades of skepticism coloring it.

"Of course she is! I am absolutely sure of that! But why wouldn't Mom remember those experiments?"

"I may have an idea… Did those scientists who copied Rei's memories ever visit her at any point after the test?"

"Nothing that I could find, Mom didn't have that many visitors. But no, there weren't any names of the white coats on the guest logs after the experiments."

"Then I have a guess. Despite the importance of the experiment, Rei never received information concerning the results and she simply let it slip her mind. Since she had hopes of making a difference through these tests, by not receiving any results, Rei believed she never made a difference and wasted her already limited time. But I don't have any evidence to support what I said, so take it with a grain of salt."

"I think it makes sense. You see, I took this survey five years ago and never heard from them since. I forgot all about it until you told me what you thought. But man… Mom has no idea that I'm her daughter?"

"Not a clue, Rei died without knowing what kind of impact she made on the world… Still, Rei would be very happy if she found out that you're alive because of her. In fact, it may be the second best thing to happen to her ever since passing away."

"Second?"

"The first one being me."

"Woah! Do you think I'm going to take that sitting down!?"

"Well considering that you're still standing, then no, I don't expect you to. But it's the truth, Rei is a lot happier when I'm around."

"Well, when Mom's rescued, I'll make her happy too! Maybe even more so than you!"

"Then I accept your challenge. The circle's done, now everyone can return here if they need to. Rise, Fuuka, tell the others that we're done and are about to come to them." Zen said as he began walking into the depths.

"Hey wait up! I'm not finished with you yet!" Labrys yelled, giving chase to the cloaked man.

And so begins the duo's descent into the abyss…

* * *

 **Chapter 13 is done! And damn! Cute cloak man blew my cover! Oh well, there's nothing I can do about that so I might as well get on with the show.  
**

 **So what do you think of boss man's chapter today?** **Personally, I think it's a bit exposition heavy. But if you like character interaction, then this is right up your alley! So slap a big old paper either saying 'It's good!' or "It sucks!" down in the comments section and boss dude will get to it!**

 **Anyway, that is an interesting point... About the ancient world and having Personas. Back then, all sorts of shit went down but you modern peps don't know any of it unless you read some book by a dead dude from the past. Still, what do you think of having ancient heroes of legends being able to wield the might of Gods and Monsters? That makes for some pretty cool fan fictions right? Right? RIGHT?  
**

 **...**

 **Tune in next week for dank dungeon adventuring, super magic spells, and an actual enemy encounter! Well, it'll be more exciting than this that's for sure... Just make sure the boss man didn't hear that...**

 **Well, I'll be off now. I'm stalking this Hot Dog cart that gives a discount if you show up in the first five minutes to buy something. Wish me luck.**


	14. Chapter 14: Breaching the Darkness

**I think you guys know what belongs in here... So let's get on with the show!**

* * *

"This is it, the true start to the operation." Mitsuru said, looking down the slope that leads to the next level.

"Rise said that Zen and Labrys are on their way here. So while you guys are in the thick of it, we'll be waiting for them." Yu said, gesturing towards to himself and Minato.

"Then we'll be on our way. Be careful you two."

"You too Senpai." Minato replied.

With a nod and wave from each of them, the Shadow Operatives left the two and descended into the depths. "How far will they go before we catch up?" Minato asked.

"Five silver says that they go fourteen before we could even catch up."

"Sixteen, they gotten stronger and the walk from the surface is long, so we'll be waiting… A… While…" Minato replied before trailing off, hearing the sounds of swift footsteps.

It was then that a black and white blur stopped in front of them, the cloud of dust following them caught up and flowed around the two. "That… Was one HELL of a run!" Labrys said, catching her breath.

"I use this incantation when I need to travel long distances in a short amount of time, cutting the need to use some kind of transport. This boost in speed can also be used in battle to evade attacks or break contact with the enemy." Zen explained, fanning the dust away from his face.

"That's really handy… Can't you use that so we can just get to Mom faster?"

"Two reasons why I can't. One, there isn't enough room down here. The tunnels we ran through were already cleared out just enough so that we won't crash into anything. Should we attempt to do the same with the lower floors, we will inevitably get cornered and be forced to fight **everything** we managed to attract. And two, the effects actually get shorter if you start using more complex movement. For instance, the incantation I have done would have lasted three hours if we were to just run straight. Every turn, jump, and roll will deduct a few minutes from the total. And if we are stuck in the thick of it when it runs out, then we're going to be in a lot of trouble. So since I would prefer if neither of those situations come to be, I will be using this incantation sparingly."

"Kind of sucks that we can't cheat our way through this whole thing to get to Mom… But I guess we'll do this the old fashioned way. You ready?" Labrys asked, cocking her gun.

"Absolutely." Zen answered, readying his crossbows.

"We're here too if you need us." Yu commented.

"Oh hey, where did you guys come from?" Labrys asked, facing the two.

"We were already here when you arrived. Also, here you go." Minato replied, handing Labrys five silver coins.

"Did you make another bet?"

"Yeah, and both of us lost because you two came here way too quickly."

"Well then… Better luck next time. Come on, let's get in there and get some work done, Mom's been waiting too long for us." Labrys replied.

The four then began descending further into the caverns, the first real step towards their mission. The first sight upon the next level was just darkness with only flares lighting the three paths before them. "Well, at least we know which way they already went." Minato commented, readying a flare for more light.

"Save those flares, we might need them. Apollo, father of daylight, cast your rays upon our skin. Shine your splendor upon the depths of this madness and pierce the shadows ahead. Artemis, huntress of moonlight, let your silver glow surround us. Cascade your beauty onto our paths, illuminate the night and let none hide within the sinister darkness. Prometheus, caretaker of mankind, grant us your gifts. Steal the flames once more from the heavens and let its blaze grant us sight within the raging storm of the divine." Zen chanted.

Several wisps of light and flames began appearing around Zen and began forming over his head, slowly growing into a ball of light the size of his head. The ball itself released a glow that wasn't too harsh to look at, but the area surrounding Zen was completely bathed in light, almost as if the sun itself was shining into the tunnels. "And here I thought my night vision lenses were handy. Is there anything you can't do?" Labrys asked, looking at the orb of light.

"Whilst I can use these incantations for anything, I prefer not to. These powers do not aid me in building the necessary day to day skills that got me this far, it only makes things a little more interesting and convenient. So anything other than crafting, fighting, and basic cooking are the things I cannot do effectively."

"Still, this a pretty cool thing to have around. Look, I can even stick my hand in it and come out just fine, it's not hot at all." Yu commented, poking the thing.

"Is it possible to send pieces of it to the others? It could be better than just using flares." Minato replied.

"Of course, just tell me how many you want."

"There are four groups of four. So including us, you need to split the thing into five pieces."

Taking the orb above him, Zen began making a pulling motion and a smaller orb came out of the larger one, shrinking the latter. He repeated this motion three more times until there were five surrounding him, all giving of a soft glow that lit up the surrounding area like a street lamp.

"Rise, could you guide the balls to the others?" Yu asked.

"Their energy signature are weird and kind of small, but I think I'll give it a try."

"I'll give Rise-chan a hand, you four just start exploring." Fuuka replied.

Four of the five balls began floating down one of the tunnels before turning the corner, the light emitting from them slowly disappearing before fading completely, leaving the red glow of the flares to light the way. "Now that all of that is done, which way do we go?" Labrys asked.

"We can just wander around and look for the paths with no flares." Minato suggested.

"Wandering around will just lead us into more encounters with the enemy. We need to find the shortest path to the next level and again for the next one after that." Zen replied.

"Rise, I'm sorry to dump more work on you, but Zen wants a beeline to the bottom. Think you could lead us to the nearest stairs?" Yu asked.

"It's nothing senpai, needed to start pulling my weight around remember? Just give me a second… Okay, I've drawn the path, the ball will lead you there."

"Thanks, talk to you soon."

"Stay safe."

The ball of light began moving slowly forward, floating towards into the blackness ahead. "There we go, let's follow it before it wanders off." Labrys said as she began walking.

"Onwards…" Minato replied with joking fake enthusiasm.

"It's strange that you didn't show more affection to your spouse vice-leader." Zen commented.

"Well, after a certain incident with Chie and Yosuke, we all agreed to act professionally when we're all on a mission." Yu answered.

"That was one hell of a disaster those two got into…" Minato commented.

"Eyes ahead boys, we've got a few baddies." Labrys said, pointing her gun towards the darkness.

The orb continued to slowly float forward to reveal three figures idling about. "They haven't noticed us yet. Fuuka, we got a Mage, a Gigas, and a Dice here, weaknesses?" Minato asked.

"Fire for the Mage, electricity for the Dice, and wind for the Gigas."

"Damn, we don't have any wind skills… Should we fall back?" Minato asked.

"You don't have to worry, I can cover any of our blind spots. Just tell me when to shoot." Zen replied, loading green tipped bolts into his crossbows.

"Then could you hit them with an agility bind Labrys? We don't want them to squirm around."

"All you need to do is give the go ahead."

"Then on my mark… Go!"

"Ariadne! Ensnare them!" Labrys shouted, a blue light surrounding her. A pale white women manifested behind the robot girl, its red eyes focused on the enemies ahead as the thread around the Persona darted towards the Shadows. The red string began drawing a spider web upon the ground underneath the monsters, glowing green once the pattern was completed.

The Shadows roared as their movements slowed significantly, going from shuffling to practically standing still. Their masked faces turned to the group, fury burning in their eyes as they slowly began to move towards them.

"Izanagi-no-Okami!"

Another Persona took the stage, appearing behind Yu from the blue light dressed in a blinding white long coat and carried a blade as large as itself. Electricity began crackling in its free hand before raising it towards the floating dice. And a great bolt of lightning crashed down upon the Shadow, turning the monster into mist.

"Messiah!"

Once more from the blue light, a Persona took form behind Minato. The porcelain white figure stared ahead, the burning red eyes on its somber face calmly concentrating on the Shadows before it. The air around the cloaked Shadow became hot and flames exploded out, consuming the creature in the inferno and left nothing but smoke behind.

Like a bat out of hell, Zen dashed through the smoke and fired a bolt right at the giant. Once the tip made contact, a burst of green energy was unleashed and blew the Shadow onto its back. Yu, Minato, and Labrys quickly rushed up to the downed monster and began thrashing at it with their weapons. With one final bolt to the head from Zen, the Gigas went limp and began to dissolve.

"Not bad for our first encounter, let's get going before more start coming our way." Labrys commented, heaving her guns.

"Too late, you have more coming. There are some Tables coming around the corner, weak to pierce." Rise replied.

It wasn't long before the four legged creatures came around the corner, only to be met with a hail of gunfire courteous of Labrys' LMG. "Shall we proceed?" Zen asked turning to Labrys.

"Well there's no point in hanging around here, let's."

* * *

 **And that is chapter 14!**

 **You should also know what belongs down here, so there's no need to beat it into your head some more.  
**

 **But I'll give you a side note about robot gal's person powers. For those who know the Q game, there are something called binds, which has a super useful circle version to hit all the enemies. So author man decides to give those circles to the girl and reasoned that, since she had a horrible past that involved fucking up her robot sisters, she would try to end a fight peacefully by restricting them, should she go up against someone she doesn't want to cut in half. It makes sense maybe... Comment on that why don't you.**

 **Anyway, next week we're going to have... More exposition... Yeah...**

 **Well that's all for this week. I'm going to sleep in this time, no special plans of mischief for this week. So good night to you all and sweet dreams...**

 **Zzzzzzz...**


	15. Chapter 15: Understanding the Past I

**Something about not owning the characters. Something about owning the world. Something about having OOC. Also massive Q spoilers beyond this point.  
**

* * *

Seven levels have been cleared, but it was no easy matter. There was a great variety of Shadows within the tunnels and quite a few resources were used to put them down. Even then, the group is able to defeat the monsters and move on until the next encounter stopped them. Which always ended the same way…

As another Shadow fell to the sustained fire of Labrys' gun, the thing stopped firing and began clicking. "Damn, gun's juice is gone…" Labrys mumbled, tossing the LMG onto the ground.

A bolt flew past her and nailed a Raven to the wall, a weak screech escaped its beak before dissolving. "That is why bows and crossbows are useful, you can retrieve your ammunition." Zen said, reaching for the bolt.

Upon removing it from the wall, the bolt snapped and left the head and part of the shaft embedded in the stone. "Provided that they remain intact…"

As Zen tossed the ruined bolt away and began loading his crossbows, Labrys began pacing around awkwardly. "Is something wrong?" Zen asked.

"It's nothing… I just want to learn more about you."

"About me?"

"Yes, about you. But mostly about how you and Mom got together."

"…"

"You okay?"

"It's not a story I am completely proud of… And I know you won't see me in good light should I tell you."

"Well if Mom's going to marry you then it can't be that bad. But you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, everyone's got skeletons they don't want to show."

"… No, you should know. You're connected to Rei, so you'll learn the story from either her or one of our friends."

"Then I'm glad that you can trust me enough to tell me something so personal."

"Let me be honest, I don't trust you completely yet… But I'm willing to take your word as truth. And you have yet to fail to watch my back. So as far as I'm concerned, you can be trusted with our story."

"Thanks…Knowing that makes me feels a lot better…" Labrys grumbled, slightly miffed at Zen's admittance.

"You guys okay over there? We're about to move out." Yu asked.

"All good here, just talking with the big guy about him and Mom."

"Let me warn you, that story is just one twist after another. You two take point, we'll cover the rear." Minato replied.

"Got it."

The group began moving again, Labrys and Zen kept their weapons pointed ahead as they followed the light ball through the caverns. Every Shadow that dared to appear before the duo were promptly shot without them slowing their stride. Despite the swiftness and precision of their kills, Zen and Labrys' minds were focusing on other matters that took priority over the masked beasts that attacked them.

"So where do we start on this episode of How I Met Your Mother?" Labrys asked. But her question was only answered with a confused stare from Zen, the cluelessness on his brow says it all.

"American TV show."

"Ah, I see… Then I will start from the beginning. You remember that I'm a God yes?"

"That is the only thing I know about you so far. But yeah, I remember."

"To be specific, I was Chronos, Humanity's personification of finite time and an aspect of death. Along with several other Gods, I was tasked with leading the deceased back to the sea of souls so that universal balance is maintained. While it was something I underwent with great effort, all I can remember about that time were the responses of the souls I met."

"Their responses?"

"To me specifically. I was a reaper who came to claim their lives and take them to the great beyond. So with that truth presented to them, I noticed that they reacted in two different ways. The first set welcomed me with open arms and followed me without hesitation. The second set attempted to bargain for their lives which, unfortunately, was futile. So I had to forcibly drag and release them into the sea of souls, despite their curses, pleas, and tears."

"Oh man… That is some pretty heavy working conditions… Did you meet Mom like that?"

"Of course. When I first met Rei, I simply went over the greeting I have been using since I have begun my duties. But instead of welcoming me or bargaining with me, she stood before me in silence. Never had I experienced that kind of reaction, so I grew curious and took interest in her, determined to make her speak."

"That's… Just creepy… Is that how you honestly met Mom?"

"Unfortunately yes. Due to my limited knowledge of people, my interaction are more mechanical than anything else. So to learn more about Rei, I probed around her memories and recreated the place she dreamed of within an isolated space. All so that I can get the girl who has fallen silent to speak."

"Let me correct myself… That's EXTREMELY creepy. But this place you made, did it happen to be Yasogami High?"

"It was, did those memories you have from Rei tell you that?"

"I kind of inherited that dream Mom had. It's actually how I meet Yu-kun and the others in the first place, in a copy of Yasogami High within another world."

"Then you two are alike after all, but I'll explain that later. For now, I'll resume the story."

"Rei began speaking after I created the school, about the short life she lived. From her mother and her name, to the objects that she was buried with when she died, Rei told me everything about her life. But after that point, she began crying and screaming… About the shortness of her life… About the dreams that she could never have the chance to accomplish… But also about the cruelty that I have pushed onto her. You see, I never knew about the despair of death that dwelled in Rei's heart. So when I recreated Yasogami, I unknowingly caused Rei distress by showing something that she desperately wanted but ultimately couldn't have…"

"Okay, you didn't know squat about Mom or anything at that point so I'll give you a pass on that nonsense you just told me. But still, not cool big guy, please continue."

"… To shield herself from the pain I have caused her, Rei attempted to gouge out her own eyes."

"What!?"

"She tried to…"

"Stop! I heard you the first time!"

Labrys took a deep breath before letting out a sigh.

"Did you stop her?" She asked.

"I managed to shield her eyes in time…"

"Oh thank God…"

"And sealed away her memories…"

Labrys slowly looked at the former time God, anger brewing inside her crimson eyes.

"Every time you get on with this little episode… I'm finding more and more reasons to punch you. So please, get on with the story and let's see how I feel after it."

"Rei couldn't remember anything when I removed my hands from her face… Not her name… Where she was… Her terrible past… She even have forgotten who I was. From the start of her amnesia, all she asked for was her name. I hesitated to give Rei her real name, so I gave her something she would like more. I named her Philei, a name that means love. She couldn't pronounce it, so she modified it to Rei, the name that she uses now."

"Well… At least I can put down a reason to not punch you…"

"I don't know when in my mind I choose to stay with Rei, but I made the decision. So I gave myself the name Zhn, a name that means the one who will be with you. Again, Rei couldn't pronounce it… But unlike before, she asked me how to write it. That moment made me realize my own ignorance and I couldn't begin to formulate an answer. Rei then decided to give me another name based on the one I gave myself, the name I now own, Zen."

The man began to let out a small laugh, which raised Labrys' eyebrows. "What's so funny big guy?"

"I'm sorry… But I'm just remembering the irony of my name. Zen means nice and Rei gave it to me because she thought I was a good person… That couldn't be further from the truth… But I kept the name she gave me and began using my powers to make Rei happy… To make her okay with dying… I created a culture festival within the school I made to make Rei happy. I also stowed away the possessions that Rei had when she died so that no one can uncover the truth, creating labyrinths around them as protection. Then I divided half of my powers and sealed it within the clock tower in the school's courtyard. And finally took away my own memories to live a long peaceful moment beside Rei. For a long time, we lived amongst a festivity of facades… That is until our leaders found us."

Zen looked over at Minato and Yu, both were systematically slashing at a single Shadow before calling upon their Personas to finish the job.

"They came into the fake school under the will of someone else and was trapped until they could finish what needed to needed done. Rei wanted to leave the school too, so all of us worked together to go through the labyrinths that protected Rei's belongings. With their strength, we were able to recover the things sealed within the labyrinths, which slowly gave me back my memories. After recovering the final item, I remembered everything and restored Rei's memories as well. But…"

"But what?"

"But even after all that was done… Even after my attempts to find an answer to her desperate cries… There was nothing I could say to her… Rei still felt the despair of death and the distress that her life never amounted to anything. That moment was my greatest failure."

"Are you telling me… That after all that you two been through… You couldn't tell Mom anything to help calm her down? Make her fell okay about her life?"

"I couldn't… I had nothing… I was just as ignorant as I was then…"

It was from that moment on that Zen failed to hear Labrys' footsteps that usually sounded right next to him. With a deep breath, he stilled his own stride and turned to face the silently fuming girl.

"I have no excuses."

"YOU BET YOUR ASS YOU DON'T! After everything you put Mom through! After all the shit you did! You couldn't say anything!? What was that whole show for anyway if it wasn't for helping Mom!?"

"It was an act. A foolish ploy to hide the mistake of a God who knew nothing. A God who didn't have anything, not even a heart. Yes, the façade was only there to hide my mistake… To hide the consequences of my own selfish curiosity…"

Labrys raised her rifle and aimed its barrel at Zen, her finger touching the trigger. Despite this move, Zen didn't even flinch and looked like he expected that reaction out of Labrys. "Tell me what happens next. And depending how it goes, I'll decide whether it's worth it or not." She growled, finger still on the trigger.

"Labrys!" Yu yelled out.

"We can't be fighting in the middle of enemy territory!" Minato shouted.

"Oh no, this isn't a fight… It's a murder."

"After Rei remembered everything, the Shadows within the School went berserk and kidnapped Rei before me. They were being manipulated by my other half who manifested from the powers I have sealed within the clock tower. They brought her to the top, fully aware that I would go after her no matter what obstacles there maybe. Should I have been defeated, I would have returned to my former self and Rei would have been wiped from existence…"

Labrys lowered her rifle, but the rage in her eyes continued to burn. She shook her head and began pacing around, Zen simply tracked the girl with his eyes.

"No… Just no… There is so many things wrong with this story! So many things wrong with you! How on God's green Earth did you fuck up this much!? How is Mom still with you! Why is she still with someone like you!? How could Mom ever love someone who put her through ALL of that!? Is that the end!? It better not be the end because if it is, there is NO telling what I'm going to do to you!"

"Labrys! You need to calm down!" Yu shouted.

"How do you expect me to!? Mom was put through an emotional blender and could have been wiped out because of him!"

"Labrys, just listen to the end of the story. I know it's a bit infuriating with all the twists and turns, but it does end on a good note." Minato replied.

The girl looked like she was against listening to anymore of the story. But with a sigh, Labrys turned to Zen and simply looked at him with tired eyes. "I've had it up to here with you… But I'm giving you and this story one more chance… So please tell me what happened?"

"I promised to always stay with Rei… So I didn't have the heart to leave her in the situation she was caught in. The others, even though they could return back to their world, they chose to help get back Rei. Despite the dangers and risks that the clock tower contained, we fought our way up to confront my other self. We were victorious after surviving the worst that my other half had to throw, rescuing Rei and finally putting an end to the battles within the rift."

"But what about the answer was Mom looking for? She must have still felt bad, probably even worse since she got into trouble and you had to bail her out. Were you able to tell her something this time?"

"Before fighting my other half, I had my doubts on whether or not I had an answer to give. Since I didn't live myself, how could I give a reason to Rei for her life? But Leader and everyone gave me some thoughts to think about, some words for me to consider. And it was because of them that I reached an answer, an answer that I was proud enough to give to Rei. I know it wasn't perfect, and there are probably thousands of better answers, but it was one I felt strongly about and that's what really mattered."

"Then what was it? What did you tell Mom?"

"I first had her understand that there was only a single one of her in all of existence. That Rei was unique and that there could be no one who could replace her. I then had to assure her that, despite her brief life, she made an impact in some way. That Rei, her person and words, has brought both joy and sorrow to someone and changed them, gave them life somehow in some way. That is what I told her… But what do you think?"

"If Mom got better because of what you said… Then the bullet stays in the chamber. But I have one last question for you, did you regret what you did? Regret taking interest in Mom when you first met her? Regret putting her though all your nonsense?"

"Hmmm… In all honesty… No, I do not regret the things I did or put Rei through. I know it sounds terrible, but taking into consideration of all that happened and what was next… All that Rei was put through because of me was for the better."

"Care to explain?"

"The reason why I say that is because I was able to help put Rei's spirit at ease. Had I not took an interest in her, Rei's entire existence would have been just pain and suffering. It's because of my mistake that Rei was able to finally be happy about who she is and move on. I too received something from that incident as well, selfish it maybe since it was born from the suffering of another."

"Go on…"

"Because of my mistakes, I learned what it means to be Human. Because I met Rei, I learned sorrow, kindness, pain, joy, and love. It wasn't just emotions either, I harbored skills and put them to good use. I learned to read and write to help Rei get her favorite things. I crafted items like my crossbows to protect Rei from the dangers that could appear…"

"I am who I am because of Rei! And she is the one I devote every one of my skills to! And it is because of this that I do not regret the consequences of my terrible actions! For I now have the understanding and heart to know the means to make Rei truly happy!" Zen shouted passionately.

Labrys smiled, her eyes cleared of all hostilities towards the man in front of her. "Good answer, looks like I don't need to shot you after all."

"Actually I was quite surprised that you didn't. Given how easily I agitated you with my story, I was certain that I was digging my own grave."

"Well that whole spiel showed me just why Mom still chose you. You took it upon yourself to fix what you broke and stuck to doing it like glue. You devoted everything you had to make Mom happy, you wanted to help Mom live. Sure you did a lot of pretty messed up things… But you meant well… You did mean well right?"

"Though my first mistake was out of curiosity… Every action I took next was only for the sake of Rei's happiness, that I can guarantee you."

"Then let's go save Mom big guy."

Labrys then punched Zen, causing him to fall on his back. "But that's for hurting Mom so many times."

"I guess I deserve that…" Zen replied sitting up. Labrys offered her hand to the man and with firm resolve, Zen took it. The girl pulled him up and the two stood before each other, eyes burning with determination. "We wasted enough time with talking, shall we go?" Zen asked. "Let's go." Labrys answered.

As the two walked forward with confident steps, Yu and Minato looked behind them and saw the number of shadows dead and dissolving… Which there were too many to count. It was a long corridor and the corpses stretched from the far end to where the two stood now.

"Should we just ignore this?" Minato asked.

"I think it's for the best…" Yu answered, feeling a drop of sweat roll down his neck.

* * *

 **And that is chapter 15!**

 **Leave something good for writer man or else I will invade your personal space! I mean it!  
**

 **And that's about it for this week, nothing special happened so I'll just cut it short.**

 **Next week we have a mirror match... Preview! Ugh... Just... Bear with me through these next few chapters okay?**

 **Now if you'll excuse me, I have some interesting classes to intrude on and a hot TA to stalk.**


	16. Chapter 16: Looming Danger

**Some things aren't owned by writer man and peps be acting funky probs.**

* * *

After venturing as far as the forty eighth floor, Yu and Minato made the call to return to the surface to resupply. And despite Labrys' and Zen's resistance, since they were very close to the last floor where Rei was, they reluctantly agreed when they found that their own ammunition was running out.

Upon returning to the surface, Zen noticed that the torches he placed down at his circle has almost burned out. "This thing only last an hour right?" Labrys asked. "Yes, I have to start replacing the torches right now should anyone want to return to this exact location."

"So this is the super magic circle, looks fancy." Yu commented. "Well, we'll be off. Do you need anything Zen?" Minato asked.

"I need bolts but it has to be the size of my crossbows. Take them and see if they can modify the bolts to those lengths." Zen replied, handing Minato his weapons. "I'll see what I can do."

"Careful big guy, don't know what will crawl out of the wood works." Labrys warned.

"The surrounding area's made out of stone." Zen said jokingly.

"You know what I mean! Be back in a flash!"

The three left as Zen began lighting new torches with the remnants of the fading arcane flames. It wasn't a difficult process, but there was a certain art to setting mere pieces of wood ablaze, at least according to one Elite Knight Captain of The Capital. Once all the torches replaced, Zen began standing around to wait for the others to return. The only noise that Zen could hear were the chaotic sounds coming from beyond the mouth of the cave.

His attention perked when the circle began glowing, indicating that someone was returning. A flash filled the room and Yosuke, Chie, Ken, and Shinjiro was standing inside the circle. Before Zen could greet them, he saw the absurd amount of injuries that all of them have sustained. Yosuke was just covered in cuts, Chie was covered with frost and walked with a limp, Ken was burned and jittered constantly, and Shinjiro was simply battered and bruised all over.

"Apollo, father of daylight, cast your rays upon their skins. Restore their health, cure them of the afflictions and injuries that clings to their selves. Persephone, maiden of youth, offer your blessings to those before me. Breathe life into their breasts and renew their lost vitality, ease the pain of their wounds."

A warm glow surrounded the four and their injuries disappeared, leaving only some minor injuries on their bodies. "I see that something went wrong somewhere." Zen commented as he approached the two. "Like you wouldn't believe…" Chie groaned. "Thanks Zen, we needed that heal. All of us were pretty much running on fumes." Shinjiro thanked.

"No problem, but what could have caused this much damage to you?"

"It's pretty unbelievable… Where's Yu? He would know how to deal with it." Yosuke replied.

"What do I know?"

Minato, Yu, and Labrys returned, surprised to see the four one edge. "So… What were you guys talking about?" Labrys asked. "Well, we had to run from an encounter…" Ken admitted. "There's nothing wrong with running, it just means you'll be more prepared to fight another day." Minato replied. "Still, what got you guys to run? I mean, the four of you are pretty strong." Yu asked.

"You won't believe me when I say this dude, but we just ran into our Shadows! Each of us fought our own Shadow!" Yosuke yelled.

Labrys and Yu perked up to this fact, knowing full well how dangerous the situation just got. "So it's that bad huh?" Minato asked. "Oh yeah, you guys better be careful. We'll be diving back in after all of us has recovered some more." Shinjiro said as he led Ken, Yosuke, and Chie out of the cave.

"What's our plan of action Leader?" Zen asked, turning to Minato.

"First we have to get everyone back here and start rearranging the teams. If we do that and go back to our Shadows, we'll have natural counters to whoever's Shadow we fight." Minato began.

"But that only works if those Shadows aren't reactive to the people who encounter them. What I mean is that even if we send a certain group in, the monsters would simply mimic them and we would have the same problem." Zen argued.

"That's a good point… Then I guess we just have to prepare for the worst. Did the others receive the word? Rise?" Yu asked.

"NOT NOW SENPAI! I'm coordinating Naoto's group! They're fighting their Shadows!"

"Then how about Fuuka…" Minato began.

"I'LL GET TO IT! Aigis and the others are fighting their Shadows too!"

"… I guess that answers your question. Whose Shadow is the worst out of us? Your thoughts Yu-kun?" Labrys asked.

"Well that would depend on whether they transformed or not. Rise did they…"

"THEY DID!"

"Okay then… That would mean yours would be pretty bad Labrys."

"Mine is just a bull that comes out of the ground. Anyone else?"

"Well there is Zen's… Actually, his is absurdly bad." Minato replied.

"How bad?"

"My other half is fully capable of utilizing many skills like me. But it utilizes time to attempt to gain an upper hand, like shortening our life span to minutes or stopping time on us to attack us relentlessly."

"Is that even fair!?"

"But I have a suspicions that these dark reflections are simply fakes, so they will not have all of their real abilities. Still, we should prepare for the worst, I don't want to be defeated after coming so far all because we were overconfident."

"Agreed. Mom is waiting for us and I'm not letting my dark side get me when we meet." Labrys replied.

"Then let's head back and stock up on some revival beads, they'll come in handy." Minato instructed.

"Good idea, better safe than sorry." Yu agreed.

* * *

 **That's chapter 16!**

 **Nothing new to say here, just do the usual things boss man has said for the past few chapters...**

 **Actually, from this point on, I'm not going to write anything because it's a pain. I don't know how boss man does it... But if you see the things at the top and bottom after this point, it will be strictly the guy's words not mine.**

 **So, this will be the last time you'll see me in a long while. Maybe some of you are happy that I'm gone, maybe not. But I'll be back in my full glory later down the line! Just you wait!**

 **Stay tuned dear readers! For my dramatic return!**

 **PEACE! OUT!**


	17. Chapter 17: Emergence

"How is everyone doing with their Shadows?" Yu asked.

"They won… I swear, my heart stopped when Kanji took a shot to his. Naoto wasn't too happy about that either, you should have seen the amount of bullets she pumped into her own Shadow…" Rise replied.

"To his heart!? Is he okay!?"

"He's fine, just laying down in the Med truck knitting some toys, you know the usual."

"That's good, don't want to lose any of the team to something like that. How's Aigis and the others Fuuka?" Minato replied.

"She… Lost an arm…"

Minato tensed up and stopped, Labrys began frowning as worry and fury burned in her eyes. "Don't worry, that's how she defeated her Shadow in the first place." Fuuka said with assurance.

"She gave up her own arm just to kill her Shadow!? I'm going to have a word with her when we're done with all this… And she says I'm reckless…" Labrys grumbled.

"Is she being repaired?" Minato asked.

"Of course, Aigis is going to use her other body while that's going on. The repairs were estimated to be only fifty minutes long, so she should be at full strength in no time."

"That's good, I don't think we can get through this without going all out."

"Well you guys should be bracing yourselves, you'll be coming up to one of those giant chambers soon, that's where the Shadow fights are happening." Rise replied.

"Roger that, watch our backs." Yu replied.

"It seems the battlefield is about to grow more intense… Are you all prepared?" Zen asked.

"That's my question to you. Do the bolts work?" Labrys replied.

"They fly well without issue, thank you for obtaining them."

"Then let's get this show on the road. Rise, draw us the path." Yu replied.

"You got it Senpai… It looks like the only way through is one of those Shadow Chambers."

"Do it, we're ready for whatever this place has to throw at us."

"Got it, just be careful. The light ball has been calibrated, it should be able to lead you now. That thing has been super handy, it really helps clear up some navigator responsibilities me and Fuuka-chan has."

"Now we can focus on more important things like battle support or rescue scans. Thank you Zen-kun, you helped us out a lot." Fuuka replied cheerfully.

"Not a problem, I just wish to use my abilities to help you help me find Rei. Did you all rescue the other people trapped down here?"

"Of course! We're not going to leave them down here just because we're mostly focusing on getting to Rei-chan! Oh wait, one of the others are going inside another Shadow chamber, I'm not going to be responding for a while." Rise answered.

"Me too, we'll try to give support to you if we can." Fuuka replied.

"It's okay, we can take on whatever this place can throw at us. Just focus on helping the others and get back to us when they're done." Minato replied.

"If you insist, we'll be cutting off right now."

As the two navigators went silent, the four proceeded through the tunnels as they followed the ball of light. That was until they were at the entrance to the large cavern, a black darkness shrouding whatever was inside even though the light ball was floating within it.

"I got nothing on my night vision, room's totally empty." Labrys commented, scanning the chamber.

"But you do feel that right? That 'I'm being watched' feeling?" Yu asked.

"Yeah… It's giving me the creeps… You're suggestion?"

"Flares first. Then we go in, carefully." Minato answered.

"On it." Zen said, loading his crossbows.

Zen launched two flares to the far end of the chamber, revealing nothing. Labrys threw two more at the center, again revealing nothing. Yu and Minato threw four more flares, continuing to illuminate the cavern and revealing nothing. The four advanced slowly, with Labrys and Zen covering the rear in case something decided to sneak up on them. Once arriving to the center, the flares on the far end put itself out, startling the group.

"I don't think that was supposed to happen… Labrys?" Minato commented.

"On it." She said, activating her night vision. However, the moment she turned it on, something forced her out of the function and disabled it. Labrys proceeded to use her other visual modes to try to breach the darkness, only for each of them to suffer the same malfunction. "I got nothing… Someone really doesn't want to be seen."

"Zen, try moving the ball forward." Yu said.

The man turned his eyes to the ball of light and raised a hand towards it. He slowly began guiding the sphere into the darkness… Only for it to be swallowed by the pitch black ink beyond them. "No good, something is blocking out our sight."

"Guys? There are eyes looking at us…" Yu said, raising his sword. The other three looked and saw two pair of golden eyes watching them from the far side of the chamber. Readying their weapons, the four stood their ground as the eyes began moving forward at a steady pace. It was only when the eyes began getting uncomfortably close that the group started to slowly back off, still keeping their weapon's raised. It was when the eyes began coming closer to the flares still at the center that footsteps began to fill the chamber.

The first things to come out of the darkness was the face that the eyes belonged to, one dark skinned and the other with silver hair. "So it is you… My other half…" Zen said. "And looks like mine decided to join in on the action… Is there anyone else here that we should know about?" Labrys replied.

The entire room lit up suddenly, almost as if the darkness was blown away like smoke. The entirety of the large chamber can be seen, nothing else was in there with the four except the two Shadows. "Get ready, they're going to transform at any moment." Yu warned with evoker ready in his off hand, Minato did the same. Without warning, two bolts and a hail of bullets flew out towards the Shadows… Only for them to stop just centimeters away from their faces. "The pre-emptive attack failed… It seems my other half can stop time within a sphere of influence as well." Zen commented.

The two Shadows walked through the frozen projectiles, having their bodies' push it aside. And once through them, the projectiles began moving again and went flying to the other end of the chamber. Only then that a dark cloud began surrounding the two, Zen's began changing shape as Labrys' only flashed a terrifying smile. Zen's Shadow finished its transformation, black armor covered its enormous body, the gears behind it was ticking away, and its hands were slowly drawing circles. A pool of black flames formed behind Shadow Labrys, a monstrous bull skull emerged as the chains embedding its skin rattled. Two massive chained arms emerged as well, pulling the creature further up before it let out a deafening roar.

"Chronos…"

"Asterius…"

"Looks like this will be one tough battle. You ready Yu?" Minato asked.

"I'm always ready." Yu replied confidently.

"Then let's hit them with everything we got!" Labrys shouted.

"I don't care who or what they think they are, their time has come!" Zen yelled.


	18. Chapter 18: God with the Machine

Labrys continued to run as bolts of lightning crashed down behind her, occasionally firing several rounds at Shadow Zen at the center of the chamber. Zen was directly facing his other half, firing several kinds of bolts at him while dodging its slow but powerful swipes. Though despite the amount of ballistics hitting it, Chornos never flinched or broke its concentration as more and more lightning came crashing down.

As that occurred, Yu and Minato attempted to close the distance on Shadow Labrys, only to move out of the way to avoid her deceptively fast swings from her axe. And whenever the two attempts to summon their Personas, the monstrous bull Asterius would quickly interrupt them with a sudden attack from the ground. Despite the battle starting several minutes ago, the two failed to even land a single hit on the fake robot girl.

"Damn it! She wasn't this fast last time!" Yu yelled, missing his swing at the Shadow.

"Messi…!" Minato yelled before dodging an uppercut from underneath him.

"And her little friend isn't making it any easier! How are you two doing over there!?"

"It would be easier if this guy stops with the lighting!" Labrys shouted, dodging another lightning bolt.

"My other half never had the level of concentration to attack and use spells simultaneously before! And I doubt that is the only improvement he's hiding, be on guard!" Zen yelled.

"I'm switching to the grenade launcher! Try not to get hit!"

As if reacting to Labrys' warning, her Shadow shot out her arm towards Chronos who grabbed it. As Shadow Labrys began pulling herself towards him, Chronos started to turn towards the real Labrys and threw the Shadow. Labrys barely saw the incoming Shadow and quickly fired off the grenade before raising the rifle to block her Shadow's strike. The axe didn't break through the rifle, but it destroyed the entire receiver and knocked Labrys onto her back.

The grenade she had fired collided and exploded with Chronos, but it didn't stop him from calling lightning upon the downed girl. "AAAAHHHH!" "Labrys! Izanagi protect her!" Yu shouted. His Persona launched forward and tackled Shadow Labrys, slamming her into the wall before she could follow up on Chronos' attack. "Quick! Get Labrys…! What the!?" Minato shouted before being blown back by a surge of wind, hitting the far wall. Yu managed to stab his sword into the ground but still had his feet swept from under him. Zen immediately lowered himself to the ground as the winds raged around him, his entire being pushed back as his shoes grinded against the ground. When the winds started to die down, Zen began firing some of his more specialized bolts.

The projectiles hit Chronos directly in the eyes, causing him to flinch and started clawing at the slowly hardening tar like material. "I've blinded him! Let's regroup!" Zen shouted. Yu, Minato, and Labrys immediately started to converge on him, recuperating from the damage they took. "Okay… What now?" Labrys asked. "Hit Zen's Shadow with a bind and end his magic show, then start tossing your grenades at him. Use the launcher shells too, Zen might be able to do something about those. I'll be on healing duty and Yu, be free to do anything you want." Minato replied. "Alright then, needed to shed a few pounds anyway. All of this is just dead weight. Ariadne! Silence Circle!"

Labrys' Persona emerged and threw out its string towards the blind Chronos, drawing a blue seal underneath him. Before the seal was completed, two bolts hit the corners and released wisps of light, making the seal glow brighter than before. Chronos grunted as the seal started pulsating underneath him, it seems his magical abilities has been sealed for now. "More special bolts?" Labrys asked. "Yes, though those were the only two I have. They amplify magical effects, Chronos is resistant to binds you see and those would ensure your strength is not wasted." Zen explained.

"And you blinded him too, nice work."

"Again, only two I have. They were very difficult to make and I don't have the resources to produce many of them. Let's not let this moment go to waste."

"Already on it! Heads up!" Labrys shouted, throwing four grenades towards the center.

Before reaching the blind Shadow, force suddenly knocked all four of the explosives out of the air and embedded them into the ground. The resulting blast kicked up dust and rocks, causing the four to flinch as pebbles flew past them. "What just happened!?" Minato shouted.

"My Shadow happened… She knocked all four out of the way."

"Kind of forgot about her… Why would she intervene now when there were several better moments earlier?" Yu asked.

"Who knows, heads up, she's up to something." Minato warned.

Shadow Labrys leapt high into the air and landed onto Chronos' right shoulder. She then dug her fingers into the side of his neck, allowing the Shadow to safely stand on its partner. "Okay? What was the point in doing that?" Labrys asked.

The temperature around the four increased drastically, prompting them to immediately dive out of the way as flames enveloped where they once stood. "Magic!? I thought there was a bind!?" Zen shouted as he stood up. "My Shadow did something! Focus on her!" Labrys yelled, pulling out her pistol.

Zen aimed his crossbows and the two began opening fire, Minato and Yu summoned their Personas and unleashed a concentrated blast of magic. However, before anything could reach Shadow Labrys, Chronos raised his left hand abnormally quick and covered the little robot on his shoulder from the assault. "How was that possible!? Chronos never had that level of speed!"

"It's you big guy!? Isn't that something only you could answer!?" Labrys shouted as she reloaded her gun.

"He's doing something with his other hand!" Yu yelled. Chronos brought his hand to his chest, fingers pointing towards the ceiling, before laying it horizontally. His other hand closed around his shoulder and started to wind up for a throw, despite the fact that his opponents were also throwing everything they got. "Get ready to move!" Minato shouted as the four began scattering. With a swift motion, Chronos launched the robot from his hand and right towards Labrys. Luckily she dodged the rather linear and obvious attack… But failed to notice that her Shadow was in front of her ready to swing her axe.

Labrys immediately throw up her arms and guarded against the heavy strike. Something was wrong though, Labrys could feel the axe blade digging into her skin and the ground under her cracking. "A little help here!" Zen raised his crossbows and immediately fired several bolts at the Shadow, only for the salvo to be intercepted by Asterius' hand. "That thing always show up at the worst times! Distract it Izanagi!" Yu shouted.

His Persona flew out towards the monstrous bull and began striking it whilst dodging its swipes. Minato sent out his own towards Labrys to assist but was knocked back by Chronos'. With a glance, he could see one of Chronos' eyes that Zen sealed shut was open and looking right at him. "And the time God is starting to open his eyes!" Minato shouted. Zen immediately fired another salvo of bolts at Shadow Labrys, which finally got her away from the real one. However, in the next moment, the Shadow was now in front of Zen ready to swing.

"Haste!?"

Zen barely managed to avoid the oncoming strike, only to have the next one hit him in his side. The pain caused him to lose focus for a moment and allowed the Shadow to take a grab at his throat. "Damn… Ugh…" Zen grunted as the Shadow lifted him off the ground. He could feel the metal fingers starting to dig into his skin, anymore and he feels like the Shadow could decapitate him just from her grip alone. Before Zen could find a way to escape, the Shadow was sent flying into the nearest wall, stunned and dazed at the sudden assault.

"There is more where that came from you fake!" Labrys shouted, chucking grenades at the Shadow. And before she recuperated, the explosives went off and sent dust and rocks flying. "You okay big guy?" Labrys asked, picking Zen up. "I'm fine, thank you. But I doubt that would be something that would stop your other self."

"Then let's get ready. This time, I won't hold back." She replied taking out her battle axe.

"And what was your reason for holding back earlier?"

"… Shut up. Do you know what's up with her?" Labrys asked, gesturing towards her Shadow as it climbs out of the hole it was blasted into.

"My other half has casted haste on her while she was on his shoulder. So I will do the same for all of us. Distract her for as long as you can."

"Got it! Ariadne! Restrict her!" Labrys shouted. Her Persona emerged and immediately started to draw a green seal underneath the Shadow. It managed to dodge out of the way… And right into a heavy swing from Labrys' own axe and sent the Shadow back into the wall. "Hermes, patron of thieves and travelers, grant us your blessings. Allow us to ride the winds that carries you and bring us to a swift victory. Let the dust fly as our steps dance and swirl around the foes before us." Zen chanted. A wind whirled around Zen, Labrys, Minato and Yu, and the four could feel much lighter compared to before.

"We have five minutes! Make it count!"

Labrys nodded and side stepped an attack made by her Shadow, countering it with a swing of her own. The Shadow nimbly dodged the strike but ran into several bolts, some releasing a liquid all over her. It began sizzling and smoke began coming out of the affected areas. "Sulfuric acid!? Where did you even get that!?" Labrys asked. "The Black Market, the price was much cheaper than I expected." "You know I could arrest you for that right?" "Will you?"

Labrys looked over at her Shadow, the acid still eating away at her skin and systems as she make fruitless attempts to wipe it off. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, we have to show this bitch how we do things downtown." "I agree."

The Shadow staggered back onto her feet, her arm limp as the acid ate away at her inner mechanics. "If you think you can take us on like that, you have another thing coming!" Labrys shouted. Asterius rose up from behind the weakened Shadow and let out a deafening roar of defiance. "I think you made her angry." Zen said simply. "I know I would be if someone was looking down on me. How are our leaders doing anyway?"

Zen looked over to Yu and Minato, the two were swiftly and gracefully dodging between Chronos' swipes and magic. Summoning their Personas at every fraction of a moment Chronos' relented. "They're doing fine now. To think we had so much difficulty dealing with these two in the beginning."

"We were just caught off guard, now the tables have turned!"

"Careful, arrogance will end up being our downfall."

"Right right. So, what's the plan?"

"…How do you feel about being used as a springboard?"

"Excuse me?"


	19. Chapter 19: Understanding the Past II

"Come on you guys! Move it! I can't get a reading on Senpai and his team!" Rise shouted.

"We're all going as fast as we can Kujikawa, so please calm down." Mitsuru replied.

"But I can't! We lost their reading half way into the fight and now I can't reach them! I'm scared that something happened to them!"

"Yu wouldn't kick it that easily, we just got to believe in him and the others." Yosuke replied.

"But damn… To get Terminator Labrys and Time Master Machine Zen is not going to be easy even for those four…" Junpei replied.

"But I believe that Sister and Minato will get out alive with Yu-san and Zen-san, I know they will." Aigis replied.

"Yeah! So what if they're fighting for their lives against a Shadow or two!? I bet they're already done!" Chie shouted.

"Then I guess we'll find out. They should be around the corner." Akihiko said, pointing towards the cavern entrance.

"Please be safe…" Fuuka said quietly.

"Here we go…"

The entirety of the Shadow Operatives immediately rushed into the Chamber, weapons raised… To see a wreck of a battlefield. Bolts littered the ground, burnt craters were scattered about, patches of ice can be seen melting by small flames, there were several impact marks along the walls, and cuts in the stone can be found all over the chamber, even on the ceiling. Then there was Minato and Yu, who were sitting against the wall eating dried fruit. And finally…

"Sister!" Aigis yelled, rushing to a downed Labrys. Covered in burn marks and large cuts, Labrys was on the ground as Zen was examining her horribly damaged right knee. "Oh hey Sis… Yeah… I'm not in the best shape…"

"We suffered a lot of damage whilst fighting those two over there. It's actually a miracle that we made it all out alive." Zen replied, pointing at the two severely battered Shadows in the far corner.

"You didn't kill them!? What if they start attacking again!?" Mitsuru shouted. "I doubt that senpai. They were like that for the past ten minutes." Minato replied.

"It's still careless of you to do so. Let's finish them off before they can recover." Naoto replied, cocking her gun.

"There's no need, they are going to pass soon from their wounds alone." Zen replied.

"Can Shadows even bleed out?" Ken asked.

Chronos and Shadow Labrys closed their eyes and began dissolving, the gurgling sound startling everyone and they immediately turned to the melting monsters.

"I guess that answers that…" Kanji said, still a bit surprised.

"Rise how far do we have until the end?" Yu asked.

"Not far Senpai, it's just beyond the room you're in."

"Then we can all head back to recover and prepare."

"As much as don't want to, it would be wiser to return. I need more bolts anyway." Zen said as he and Labrys stood up, with Zen supporting Labrys' right side.

"I can't rescue Mom like this. So get on with the Goho-Ms already."

Zen pulled out a small golden gear from his pocket and threw it upon the ground. It grew in size as it began levitating off the ground, slowly rotating in the air. "Oh, it's one of those." Minato commented, remembering the purpose of the gear.

"Now we're able to return to this point at any time we wish. Is there anything we else we need to accomplish down here?" Zen asked.

"There isn't, we have rescued all the others that have been trapped down here. We can return to the surface to start preparing to rescue Rei and deal with this anomaly once and for all." Mitsuru answered.

"Then if our leaders would do the honors…"

Yu took out a Goho-M and threw it to the ground, releasing a flash of light. Everyone looked around and found themselves at the entrance of the caverns. "Alright, first let's get you three some medical attention. Aigis, get Labrys to the repair truck." Mitsuru ordered. "Thank you for taking care of my sister Zen-san, I will take it from here." Aigis said, taking Labrys' shoulder from Zen. "Not a problem. I hope I can drop by later to talk to her about some things."

"Oh yeah, feel free to drop by the big green truck. I have my own questions to ask too." Labrys replied, limping off with Aigis. The rest began piling out of the mouth of the cave and began scattering. Zen followed Yu and Minato to the ambulance where they would receive some medical help. For Labrys, Aigis hoisted her up into the green truck to start her repair process. Despite housing four pods and several other devices, there was enough space to maneuver around inside. Within one of the pods, Labrys could hear several devices buzzing around, they must be repairing Aigis' other body.

"Computer, open pod L2 and start up reparation sequence." Aigis said.

"L2 DOORS OPENING." The computer said as a capsule opened up.

"Okay Sister, go on inside."

"And you should start the transfer process into your other body, they should be almost done fixing it."

"How could you tell?"

"The big honking monitor on the wall?" Labrys replied, gesturing to the large monitor displaying Aigis' repair progress.

"Oh… I forgot that was there. Very well, computer, open pod A1 and prepare transfer sequence."

"A1 DOORS OPENING."

"I shall see you on the other side Sister." Aigis said before walking off and entering her pod, it closed shortly afterwards.

Labrys carefully climbed into her own and sat down within, the doors closing minutes after doing so.

"Okay computer, give me the run down and make it quick. Skip over the things that aren't broken or damaged."

"UNDERSTOOD. FOURTY SEVEN MINOR LACERATIONS DETECTED. SEVEN CONTUSIONS DETECTED. THREE SECOND DEGREE BURNS DETECTED. MINOR ELECTRICAL DAMAGE DETECTED. MINOR FROST DAMAGE DETECTED. MAJOR DAMAGE OF THE RIGHT KNEE DETECTED. ANALYSIS COMPLETED.'

"What's the time for a complete repair?"

"TWO HOURS AND THIRTY MINUTES."

"Fuck that, don't have the time. How about a quick repair? One that focuses on the knee and electrical damage."

"TWENTY TWO MINUTES."

"Amount of time for a Transfer?"

"TWENTY FIVE MINUTES WITH OUR CURRENT EQUIPMENT."

"Begin quick repair focusing on the knee and electrical damage."

"REPAIR COMMENCING. PLEASE HOLD STILL."

Labrys felt binders hold her arms, legs, head and body in place as various small devices began to activate around her. She took a deep breath. "Still not used to this…"

"WE HAVE A GUEST OUTSIDE. OPEN THE DOORS?"

"Who is it?"

"BRINGING HIM ON SCREEN."

In front of Labrys a holographic screen appeared and it showed Zen waiting outside of the truck.

"Let the guy in and turn on the mic, I want to have a conversation while I wait."

"UNDERSTOOD."

Zen saw the doors to the truck open up and he climbed inside before closing up again. Zen looked around, observing the different machines and monitors that are currently active. "Over here big guy, inside pod L2." Labrys said from within her pod. "Are you in the process of being fixed?" "That's why I'm here. But anyway, what do you want to talk about?"

"It's about your other half, the Shadow you. I want to know what turmoil lead to the creation of your Shadow, it'll help me with improve my understanding of people. I'll divulge into my other half as well so we both can understand each other a little more. Though considering the topic, you don't have to say anything at all."

"It's okay. I been meaning to ask about more about you and Mom, so I guess now's a good time to talk. Where do I start…?" Labrys asked, thinking to herself.

"Shadow me was born from the denial of the hell I was put through when I was created. I was the 31st unit of the 5th generation ASSWs and woke up with all my processes being monitored by some white coats."

"31st? What happened to the ones before you?"

"I… I had to kill them…"

"!"

"Surprised huh? You didn't think this pretty face got blood on her hands did you? But that was all that was expected out of me and the others, kill whoever was marked as our targets while minimizing damage to ourselves. And I did it without thinking about… Anything really, just followed the orders I was given like a machine, like a tool."

"A machine…"

"But my days wasn't just fighting, the ASSWs had a certain time to walk around outside in a fenced off area and interact with the other units. It was basically a cage, but a change of pace from being inside the facility."

"The other units? But weren't you tasked to kill them? What is the point in communication with them if they are only going to perish one day?"

"I had thought about that too, but never said anything because I didn't think there was anything wrong with the orders I was given. There were plenty of units I could talked to, but for some reason, I went to the one that was petting a dog. And that was when my life changed. I don't know why I went to her specifically, but we became fast friends that night."

"What was her name?"

"None of us actually had names, only a unit number. But her unit number was more than enough to make me remember everything about her. It was Unit 24 and she was the one who taught me a lot of the little world we lived in. I learned about dogs from Snowy, the dog she was with, about ourselves about the little things like how it's more comfortable to sit than to stand. She's also the one who told me the reason why we have this outdoor time, it's so that it helps us develop a Persona."

"She sounds like a good person. Was there anything else she helped you figure out?"

"Oh yeah, a whole bunch of things. But the thing that I began thinking about most thanks to Unit 24 was about the other units, my sisters. I began thinking about my sisters, wonder what could they be thinking, what were their goals were, and how they felt. I began thinking about them more and more every time I defeated them in the combat tests, since I would be getting their memories after each one."

"Did this flow of thought changed how you acted?"

"Of course, not just out of battle, but inside it too. I went from destroying to disarming and disabling, it really improved everything about me… It still ended for my sisters though. Everyone who lost got their hearts, the plumes of dusk, removed from their bodies, shutting them down… Killing them for good. I thought this was better because I wasn't the one doing it… But it hurt… Even though they had their own goals and dreams, I am the one who walks away alive in the end with the memories of those dreams. I couldn't just give up though, I had to keep going because someone was waiting for me."

"What a cruel fate to experience… And all to develop a heart? How could one undergo a trial such as that? And to conduct this suffering intentionally?"

"If you think that's bad, then let me go into something a lot worse. There was a point I finally cleared all the combat trials and I didn't have to fight anymore. I even got my name, but I was more excited that I didn't have to fight anymore. When the time came, I told Unit 24 about it. But instead of being happy for me, she transferred a file into me and told me not to open it until I knew I was safe. I was worried but she seemed okay, smiling like always, so I ignored that feeling…"

"It was what can be summed up as a will wasn't it? A final message to the receiver once the sender was gone…"

"Right on the money. But what happens next is something I still can't get over… I had to do more fighting, to be able to finally summon a Persona by inducing stress on the user… I questioned the white coats why they have to have me fight, but they never answered. What made things even worse was who I had to fight… It was Unit 24… My Best Friend… And neither of us could leave until one of us is dead…"

"…"

"I screamed and begged to stop the fight. I even started banging on the glass that separated me and them… But those damn white coats just kept staring at me, observing me… That's when I figured out that they didn't care about me or my sister. They only cared about our capabilities as a weapon… We were nothing but machines to them…"

"Did you save… No, you couldn't could you?"

"Even when I disarmed and disabled her… They just forced her to move like some kind of puppet and wanted her to keep fighting me… And the noises her body made… Oh God the noise… It's going to haunt me forever… So I couldn't do anything else but…"

Labrys felt tears running down her face as she went quiet, a lone repair arm activated and began gently wiping them up with a cloth. "I'm sorry… That part is still gets me…" "It's fine, we all those memories and moments. And I should be the one apologizing, I didn't think this story affected you so much. I think I'll just leave."

"Don't, I want you to listen. We're partners in this adventure aren't we?"

"We are… I'll stay and listen, but you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"I already planned on telling you everything so you might want to get comfortable… I really hated how I had no choice but to kill someone I love… She even smiled at me with the last of her strength. The kind of smile your friends give you to say everything's alright… She said she was glad that I was alright, that I was the one who survived… I couldn't believe it was really happening. The white coats took it all like normal. They came in, took her plume, and gathered her data. As usual, I was given that memory but I made it the chance to experience very moment of Unit 24's life. It was then that I remembered the file she gave me and I opened it up to read it."

"What did it say? What was it that she entrusted you with?"

"She hoped that I would live a happy life… Hoped to do the things she won't be able to do… See the things she couldn't… And meet the girl she so badly wanted to see… Our Mom… How funny huh? Wishing her killer to be happy? Wanting her killer to fulfill her dreams?"

"Then I guess that makes two of us. People giving us titles and wishes that doesn't seem to fit us at that moment."

"Yeah… But all the emotions and pain that I went through caught up to me and I began crying… Everything was just too much for me… Then the white coats saw me… I heard them… They said they didn't want a machine human enough to cry… They wanted to delete some of my memories… They want to rob me of all the sentiments I had in my data."

"That… To think that Humans can exhibit cruelty on the level of Gods… Surely that wasn't the end of your story. After all, you are here telling me the story now."

"I got angry… I was furious! Did they think I was just their plaything!? No! So I began to enter battle mode and was completely focused on getting away. They tried to restrain me but I managed to break free and began running for an exit. They sent an entire security team to get me, but since they can't hurt me without harming my data, I got away from them easily. When I climbed the wall outside, my half awakened Persona decided to break the front gate and managed to slow them down. I ran as far as I could go, meeting Snowy on the way, and felt free for the first time. But my GPS told me a different story though… Could you guess what went wrong with my escape?"

"An island. Whatever lab it was, it was isolated on an island. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide."

"You're pretty smart big guy, guess you weren't joking about being a God."

"I never joked about that aspect and Gods don't know everything, my experience with Rei told me so. But please continue, what happened next?"

"I just went as far as I could go and ended up on the beach. It was beautiful, the waters were clear, the sky was big and blue, the sea stretched on for miles on end. I made a wish at that moment… I wished that whoever was after me meet the person they care about on that beach and go beyond the sea I saw. I turned myself in after that… Seeing that there was nothing else I could do."

"But what about your memories? What about you?"

"Luckily, when I was escaping, I managed to destroy a bunch of tech stuff, so they couldn't do anything about my memories. But since I was too much trouble to keep around, I was put to sleep and locked away. I began dreaming, mostly just floating around the places I have seen. But something changed and a voice talked to me and I was taken to somewhere never saw before. It told me that I could go to school like a normal girl, like what Mom wished for. And before I knew it, I was inside the TV living a fake life as Yasogami High's Student Council President. It was short and not real, but I loved every minute of it. Then I met Yu-kun and the others and the rest is history. So, what do you think?"

"Whomever these scientists were, I hope their souls suffer an antagonizing fate at the hands of my former divine colleagues."

"You know it's bad when a God says that. But that's the whole story behind me and my Shadow. That nightmare of a past was something I hid from myself, I didn't want to accept it as being a part of me. But because I accepted it and learned that I'm not alone anymore, I earned my Persona Ariadne."

"We are really similar you and I, my other half is something that can be consider more machine than Human. You know mine and Rei's story, so I will keep it short. My other half represented the me that ran away from mistakes, the me who would carelessly hurt others, and the me who never had a heart. He was the past me that cared not for emotions or friendship, just duty. He was no Shadow, but still my dark reflection."

"That is pretty scary, not having a single shred of Humanity inside you at one point. Well, I guess I was like that once and would continue to be like that if it wasn't for Unit 24. And I guess it was Mom who changed you from that thing we fought into you."

"But I'm wondering about something… About those two we just fought. You know those were fakes right?"

"Oh yeah, they didn't even say anything. The real one would have said some real infuriating shit to break me."

"Then they must be created by the culprit."

"By that Eris chick? But why? To delay us?"

"Most likely… Or to simply annoy us. Regardless, Rei is in our sights now. Are you ready?"

The pod opened up and Labrys climbed out, some damage was still present on her but she was standing up normally. "About as ready as I will ever be. You?"

"I am if you are."

"Great. Well Sis is still needs a few minutes to finish the transfer, want to arm up?"

"I do need a few bolts."

"Then I'll show you to the armory truck, the quartermaster will get us sorted out."

"I just hope the others finish up soon, Rei is just within our reach."

"Oh don't worry, we'll make sure that everyone is on point for this final push."


	20. Chapter 20: Ghosts of the Past

In a flash of light, Zen and the Shadow Operatives found themselves back at the chamber where Zen and Labrys' Shadows were fought, it still looked like a harsh battlefield. Whilst Zen began looking for bolts he can reuse amongst the destruction, the others began double checking their equipment and selves.

"Yamagishi, could you double check what is ahead of us? I don't want to get my hopes up thinking that we're near the end." Mitsuru asked.

"Me and Rise-chan have double and tripled checked, beyond where you're standing is the end. And we're still detecting someone, so it's most definitely Rei-chan that is there."

"Thank you. Listen up! This will be our final excursion inside this cavern! If you still need something, return to the surface immediately and return as soon as you can! We'll travel through this last part together and end this incident once and for all!" Mitsuru shouted.

Zen approached the golden gear and turned to the others. "I will be needing this back, so be absolutely sure you have all you need to proceed. Once I disable this, it won't be usable for the next seventy two hours. Is there anything anyone needs?"

No one moved from their spot, simply looking at Zen with affirmative eyes filled with determination. So with that, Zen placed his palm on the golden gear and it shrunk down to its original size, the gleam and luster becoming extremely dull. Once Zen pocketed the small trinket, he spoke an incantation and the ball of light appeared beside him. "We might still need this."

"Now, who wants to be on vanguard?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'll help take point." Labrys volunteered as she stepped forward. Labrys decided to go in more lightly armed, only having her pistol, magnum revolver, hunting knife, and battle axe, since it was cumbersome to have more equipment than that. And the fact that the whole team is together means that whatever fire power she lacked can be covered by the others. Besides, two hundred or so words to the culprit should be more than enough.

"I'll be taking point as well." Zen answered, stepping forward as he armed his crossbows.

"Then I guess both of us will take point too." Yu and Minato replied as the two stepped forward.

"And I will go with them as well." Aigis said, taking a step forward.

"Very well, you five are very robust. But be cautious, who knows what we'll find at the very end."

Mitsuru warned.

"Of course, but that's why we have you, to watch over us should something go wrong." Zen replied.

"Onward! Our lost princess awaits us!" Teddie shouted.

"Onwards…" Minato repeated with less enthusiasm as the group moved onward.

Though there wasn't much distance to cover, there were a few stray Shadows that decided to attack them… Only to be vaporized by the overwhelming force that would come seconds later. And before long, the team was standing before the entrance to an extraordinarily large chamber that was also pitch black inside.

"I can't see anything with my night vision, it's like the last chamber all over again." Labrys said.

"Launching flare." Aigis said, firing a flare into the darkness. While the flare did illuminate, it was only for a second before it was forcibly put out and the darkness took over the room again.

"I've failed to provide any illumination."

"Rise, you got anything in there?" Yu asked.

"Nope, it's like looking at TV static. Something's there, but I can't tell what it is."

"Looks like we have to go in blind. Zen, don't let that ball light leave our side, it might put itself out." Minato ordered.

"I wasn't planning on it."

The vanguard slowly entered the chamber, weapons at the ready. As they proceeded forward, the area behind them became brighter as though they were lifting the darkness. The rest of the Shadow Operatives followed shortly, weapons poised to strike at anything foolish enough to surprise them.

"Damn it's dark, just like those other chambers…" Yosuke commented.

"Why is it that only when we enter that it becomes brighter? And even then, it's only illuminating where we are and where we've already been." Naoto asked.

"We shouldn't think too much about that, the culprit could have a hand at that." Akihiko answered.

"It's kind of like those Civ games where there's the uncharted part and the FOW part…" Junpei said.

"FOW?" Mitsuru asked.

"Fog of War. In some strategy games, it covers up the world to hide players from each other. It disperses around your units and buildings but only within a certain radius. Good players who mastered the FOW can utilize it to set up ambushes and full scale sieges." Ken explained.

"Interesting, I might look into that after this operation. It sounds like there could be a lot to learn from those kinds of games."

"But taking into consideration what Junpei-san said and what Ken-san explained, please observe our surroundings... The area that is immediately surrounding us, it's quite bright. But looking beyond that, it's quite dim and I could just barely make out the terrain. And then there's the area in front of our vanguard, which is literally pitch black. It's almost as if we were pulled into one of those kinds of games."

"But… We didn't enter a TV or anything." Teddie said.

"I didn't say we did, it's just an interesting point. One that could help us decipher the mentality of the culprit. Zen-san, do you still believe the Goddess of Strife is the culprit?"

"Yes. After spending enough time in this caverns, I can certainly say that this is Eris' handiwork."

"And how would you describe her? Would this action be within reason for her?"

"The first word that would come to my mind is petty. But she is very clever when it comes to sowing confusion and doubt in others, as the Trojan cycle shows. This darkness trick is simply nothing more than a simple time sink for her, something to kill boredom while imparting little confusion to us. So yes, this is an action she would perform."

"Guys, I think I see something." Yu said, pointing ahead.

Everyone stopped as the vanguard began moving forward more slowly, illuminating what is ahead. As the darkness pulled away at their advance, a small and curled up form began to reveal itself. Zen's eyes went wide and immediately ran forward the moment he saw the form's beautifully long blonde hair that was decorated with white flower clips.

"Rei!"

Labrys ran to the curled up girl as well, followed by the rest of the Shadow Operatives. Zen crouched down next to Rei and rolled her onto her back, inspecting for any injuries on her only to find none. "Is she okay!?" Yukiko asked. Zen just nodded before partially lifting Rei, holding her body close to his and gently shook her shoulder, trying to rouse her from her sleep.

"Mom… Please wake up…" Labrys said softly.

"Rei, open your eyes. There's not much to look at, but everyone's right here by your side. So please, wake up." Zen whispered, continuing to gently shake Rei.

"Ngh…"

Rei's eyes slowly but surely began to flutter open and her tired eyes looked at Zen. "Zen?"

It suddenly became hard to breathe for the girl as Zen pulled her into a tight embrace. "You're okay… Thank God you're okay…" Rei wrapped her own arms around him and returned the gesture, though slightly reluctant. "Rei? Is there something wrong?" Zen asked with worry, sensing her hesitance. "It's nothing Zen, let's just go." Rei said with a smile.

"We still have to find the culprit… Though escorting non-combatants out of the AO takes precedence. Zen, Labrys, take Rei back up to the surface and return to us as soon as you can." Mitsuru ordered.

"Man, and I wanted to say a few words to her…" Labrys grumbled as she stood up, holstering her gun.

"Understood. Let's go Rei, everything will be alright once we go back." Zen said standing up, offering his hand to Rei."

"Yeah… It will be…" Rei replied, reaching for his hand.

"Liar…"

Rei froze as she heard that voice... Her eyes growing wide with fear and terror…

"It's not going to get better… How could it?"

"NOOOO!" Rei covered her ears immediately and curled up again.

Everyone was startled by her sudden shriek, drawing their weapons and encircled Rei, Zen, and Labrys to protect them. "Rei!? What's wrong!?" Zen asked, his mind frantically wondering what's going on.

"The 'life' you have is nothing more than the shadow of someone else's… A 'life' that's only fated to be abandoned… And Forgotten… Just like when you were alive… Niko…"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Rei-san, please calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of." Aigis said.

"Guys, we have a visitor…" Yu warned.

The rest turned to the direction he was facing and saw it, the pair of golden eyes staring at them from within the darkness. "Great another Shadow self, who is it this time?" Kanji asked. "Based on the context of what's happening… I have a good guess as to who it is…" Yosuke replied.

The eyes began moving towards them, the sound of bare feet hitting the stone ground coming closer. Zen got up and readied his crossbows as Labrys armed herself with her axe in one hand and her pistol in the other. The form exited the darkness and stood on the edge of the lighted area, a green patient scrub wrapped its body as it held a white stuffed rabbit in its arms, beautiful long blonde hair cascaded down its head, its eerie yet exhausted golden eyes looked at all of them.

"It's you…" Zen growled.

"Is that… Rei's Shadow!?" Labrys shouted.

"But I thought she disappeared when Rei-chan denied her a second time?" Yukiko asked.

"Rei-chan must be repressing something else for her Shadow to come back. What that is I don't know." Teddie replied.

"Last time, her Shadow was born from her fear of dying without meaning. But we helped her come to terms with that during our adventure in the rift. We're just going to have to see what this one has to say." Yu said.

"Why do you keep saying that…?" Rei mumbled.

"Rei?" Labrys asked, looking back at the still sitting girl.

"The things I do are things I only could do, no one else can! So don't go telling me that my life is just in a shadow!"

"But it's true… No matter what, everything you do is just overshadowed by someone else. By your peers who are smarter than you. By your friends who are more successful than you. By the girl over there who lived your life much better than you did." The Shadow said before pointing at Labrys.

"My life was different from hers! And my life is something I can be proud of"

"What is there to be proud of? You lived your days in a hospital, unable to go anywhere because of your sickness. Your mother abandoned you when your condition wouldn't improve. You died without anyone by your side and without knowing anything outside of your room on an operating table by the hands of an over confident surgeon. And when you get a chance to live your life, it turned out to be a blissful lie. Even the friends you made consider you a passing face, seeing that they forgot all about you and the things they learned."

Rei didn't say anything, just clenched her fist and bit her lip.

"And what about her? The machine? Her early life was just as painful and she also live a blissful lie, even making the same friends. But she was alive when this happened… More time to make an impact to the world at large. She who learned about the world where you couldn't. She who has true friends to rely on while you were all alone. She who has family who loves her while your own abandoned you and only considered you a second child. The life she has outweighs yours."

"ENOUGH! Rei has done more than enough with her life! She changed me! I was once Chronos, an unfeeling God who just did his job and nothing more. The fact that I am now Zen is proof that Philei's life made a difference!" Zen shouted, aiming his crossbows at the Shadow.

"If that was the case, then why am I here? She doubts you Zen, as she doubts the significance of her own existence."

"…" Zen couldn't respond to the Shadow, causing him to lower his crossbows.

"Her story is nothing but a flimsy copy with no noteworthy events, especially when compared to the rest of you. She accomplished nothing, she affected nobody, and her life now is as meaningless as it was when she was alive."

"STOP IT! What do you know!? I lived and that's more than enough! You have no right to decide what my life means to me!" Rei screamed.

"But I can… After all… I am you and you are me…" The shadow retorted.

"Get ready! Here it comes!" Yosuke yelled.

"YOU'RE! NOT! ME!"

"Not me…? Then let me show you HOW WRONG YOU ARE!" The Shadow screamed as dark clouds enveloped her. Upon dispersing, a large rabbit like monster replaced where she stood. Its hand and feet were stained blood red and its mouth hanged open to show its pointed teeth, its bulging gold eyes glared at the Shadow Operatives. Zen caught Rei as she passes out, her face looked exhausted and her closed eyes had a few tears in it. Labrys holstered her pistol and took hold of her axe with both hands.

"Don't worry Mom, this will be over before you know it."

The beast let out a deafening roar that pushed the group back several inches, even knocking a few of them down onto their backs. But instead of attacking them while they were slightly disorganized, it waited around menacingly. "Okay? What was that about?" Chie asked, getting up from the ground.

"Something else is coming!" Fuuka shouted.

"I'm detecting three powerful Shadows… No way!" Rise added.

"What is it Kujikawa!?" Mitsuru asked.

Three other dark clouds began gathering in front of the giant rabbit, each began forming into large figures. One was large, dressed in pink and had a large ornamental crown on its head. Another was slender, dressed in black and was riding a coffin. The last was horribly disfigured, wearing surgery scrubs and holding giant bloody pliers.

"The Queen has returned! Come my minions! Royal Straight Flush!" The first shouted, summoning an army of card soldiers.

"Glory to God for gracing me with this miracle! I vow to guide these lost sheep in your name!" The second yelled, summoning four other coffins.

"A second chance I see… Let's do the procedure correctly this time. Nurses, prepare for the Operation." The third said softly, summoning two nurses.

"These are the Guardians of the Labyrinths! But how!?" Zen shouted.

"Now's not the time to ask that! We just have to fight!" Yu replied, raising his sword.

"Well this is a trip down memory lane… But we're all stronger than ever before, let's do this!" Minato yelled.

"Right!"


	21. Chapter 21: Best Friend

"GAHHH!"

"UGHHH!"

Yu and Minato flew several feet away before landing onto the stone ground, the giant Rabbit quickly rolled back onto its feet and barely avoided an attempted decapitation from Labrys. Yu and Minato stared up at the ceiling for a moment, realizing just how they found themselves upon the ground during this intense battle.

"Yu…"

"Yeah?"

"We just got drop kicked by a rabbit…"

"There's always a first time for everything…"

Yu and Minato got up and looked around at the ongoing battles. Labrys, Aigis, and Zen, holding the still unconscious Rei, was trying to fight off the rabbit Shadow, doing some damage to it before dodging any retaliation with varying degrees of success. Yosuke, Yukari, Yukiko, Mitsuru, and Junpei were up against the Doctor and the nurses, throwing their skills as they dodged the doctor's swift swings. Akihiko, Ken, Kanji, Chie, and Teddie were dealing against the clergyman, carefully choosing their opportunities to attack but sometimes end up getting countered due to a misstep. And the rest were fighting the queen and her massive army of card soldiers, obliterating many in their way but only to have even more swarm them. Rise and Fuuka were going into overtime trying to support the four groups, sometimes getting tangled up by the ongoing events and end up miscommunicating. It was just utter chaos…

"Alright… Just get back onto the saddle." Yu said, picking up his sword.

"Yeah, get our groove back." Minato replied, grabbing his evoker.

"Izanagi-no-Okami! Maziodyne!"

"Messiah! Maragidyne!"

Flames and lightning erupted throughout the entire chamber, severely damaging everything the attack came in contact with. One of the nurses succumbed to the attack, the clergyman was merely stunned, and many of the card soldiers disintegrated before the surge of flame and electricity. Everyone was surprised at the sudden amount of destruction but immediately pressed the advantage while they could. However against Rei's Shadow, the attack did nothing more than annoy it.

The rabbit roared and pushed everyone back again, the force also extinguishing any patches of flames left behind by the Yu's and Minato's attack. "Be careful everyone, the rabbit just made itself and the others much stronger! They'll be faster and hit a harder!" Fuuka warned. "Well that back fired…" Minato replied. "It is fine Arisato, anything to damage them is more than enough." Mitsuru reassured.

"Alright! Let's get back to our battles!" Yu shouted.

Labrys jumped left as Rei's Shadow attempted to bite her, making a light swipe at the Shadow during the motion. It grunted at the wound and made a grab at Labrys, catching her leg before she could move. "Shit! I got caught!"

"Hold on Sister!"

Aigis began firing several missiles at the Shadow, hoping the salve would stun it. Zen did the same, firing explosive bolts whilst trying to not hit the captive girl. None of the attacks were doing anything, though that didn't stop the two from ending their assault. Hanging upside down, Labrys swung her axe at the arm holding her but was caught by the Shadow's other hand. The rabbit ripped the weapon out of her hand and tossed it aside before grabbing Labrys' torso. The Shadow began pulling on Labrys, the creaking of metal can be heard from Labrys' hips and leg.

"AHHHH! ARIADNE!"

The Persona appeared and wrapped its red thread around the arms of the Shadow before pulling to prevent Labrys' limb gets ripped out. While the strain on her limbs lessened, Labrys could feel that her Persona was slowly being overpowered by the Rabbit. "Let go damn it!" Yu shouted, slashing away at one of the Shadow's legs. "I think she's pretty angry with Labrys!" Minato replied, also slashing away at the other leg. Labrys drew her hunting knife in reverse grip and began stabbing at the hand holding her, though it did nothing but tighten the Shadow's hold on her.

Zen stopped firing and began thinking, wondering just what could stagger the creature that held the robot captive. Every spot on its body took hits but the Shadow continued to act as if nothing happened, even to the attacks of Personas. Maybe something from Rei's past could help take down this monstrosity. Zen looked at Rei's face, a small frown was upon her face as tears rolled down from her closed eyes. Eyes that no doubt saw some terrible things that were bad enough for her to attempt to gouge…

"Go for her eyes!" Zen shouted, aiming his crossbow at the Shadow's head. Labrys flipped her blade from reverse grip to forward and launched her arm at the eye should could see. Zen fired his crossbow and the bolt soared into the other eye as the knife hit its target.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The Rabbit dropped Labrys and began clutching at its eyes, attempting to claw out the obstruction. Before it could grab Labrys' arm, the girl pulled her limb back to its place and limped away from the raging Shadow. "Hit it with everything you got!" Labrys shouted.

"Athena! God Hand!" Aigis shouted. A white robbed woman appeared from the blue light, her gaze focusing on the enemy before them. A shield floated in front of her as she raised her spear to throw upon the Shadow. A glint of light shined from her golden helmet as she threw her weapon, a fist like shape began surrounding the spear.

"Messiah! Hientou!"

The angelic Persona began building flames around its arm before flinging it out in a thin arc, like a blade, towards the Shadow.

"Izanagi! Raijinzan!"

Lightning struck the weapon of the well-dressed Persona before it swinging across with great force, sending the energy towards the Shadow.

The three attacks hit the monster, forcing it to buckle and collapsed onto the ground as its eyes continued to bleed. "Alright you bastard, I'm going to knock you into next week. Ariadne! Binding of Prometheus!" Labrys shouted as she began focusing. The red string began darting along the floor of the entire chamber, drawing a pattern as it began changing colors. The Shadow suddenly charged at Labrys, baring its fangs at the robot but she stood her ground.

When it bit down, a barrier pulled up and protected Labrys although she could hear it creak and crack. Labrys smiled knowing who it was that put up the barrier and continued to concentrate. The string finished drawing the seal upon the ground and began glowing white, slowly shining ever brighter until it blinded everyone. When the light faded, every last one of the enemy were covered in chains and were struggling to break free.

"Yes! Every last one of them are bound! They won't be able to do anything!" Rise yelled.

"This is your chance!" Fuuka added.

"Damn… That took more out of me than I thought… Let me hold on to Mom for you… Go deal the finishing blow… I need a break…" Labrys panted limping towards Zen.

"Hephaestus, Engineer of the Forge, I ask for your service. Ease and temper the metals of the maiden before me. Give her the strength to protect all those she holds dear and allow your craft to gift her victories." Zen chanted. A soft glow began to appear on Labrys, the damage on her body slowly began repairing itself to its original condition. Aigis was also surrounded in a soft glow, her own injuries started to close and repair itself.

"Is this your power Zen-san?" Aigis asked, looking at her arms.

"You never cease to amaze me big guy… I'll make sure to protect Mom."

"Then I'll be off." Zen replied before dashing forward.

"Hermes, patron of thieves and travelers, grant me your blessing. Let the winds be at my back, push me towards the horizon and the world beyond. Have my feet tread the earth like the clouds rolling across the sky, send my soul to the heart of the storm. Iris, bringer of the seven colors, cast your light upon me. Let me soar through the night upon your wings hidden within the gentle breeze. Guide me through the midnight ink and towards the danger hidden in the darkness. Chronos, governor of time, I call to you. Expand the passage of time, allow the sands to dance, to torrent, and to flow around me. Turn the hours to minutes and minutes to seconds, let no moment be wasted in this time of tribulation."

Zen disappeared as bolts came flying out of nowhere in multiple directions around Rei's Shadow. Each one that hit unleashed a burst of magic that either burned it, partially froze it, electrocuted it, or forced it to the ground. Before Labrys realized, Zen was standing next to her, calmly staring at the still struggling Shadow. "That was pretty short. You not going to finish her off?" Labrys asked.

"Look closely, I left a gift."

Labrys focused her sight on the Shadow and noticed what was surrounding it, a semi sphere of bolts. Every last one of them were just hanging in the air, with all their tips pointed towards the still struggling Shadow, waiting to converge. Zen raised his hand and snapped his finger, causing all of the projectiles to fly and turn the rabbit into a pin cushion. It looked for a moment that the beast was defeated… Until it forced itself to stand up and unleashed a defiant roar.

"Just like last time…" Zen said before falling to his knees.

"It seems I have overexerted myself…"

"I know Shadows are tough but this is ridiculous! What did this thing represent for Mom anyway!?"

"It represents the resentment and despair that Rei harbored towards her meaningless life. This creature's refusal to be defeated is stemmed from her desire to survive against the sickness that was killing her."

"Oh man… Where is Yu-kun, Minato, and Sis?" Labrys asked, noticing that those three aren't around.

"Sister! Get out of the way!"

Labrys and Zen looked over and saw everyone standing together, their Personas stood behind them, all radiating a soft glow around each and every last one of them. "Oh shit! Time to get moving!" Labrys yelled, picking up Rei and Zen. The girl began hauling the two towards the rest of the group, hurrying as she began hearing the chains she placed upon their opponents weakening and breaking.

"Give it to them!" Yu shouted.

"GOD HAND!"

"MARAGIDYNE!"

"MABUFUDYNE!"

"MAZIODYNE!"

"MAGARUDYNE!"

"MEGIDOLAON!"

A blur of colors and light erupted throughout the entire room, so much so that it hurt just looking at the sudden burst of power. And despite the roaring torrent on noise, weak and pained voices of the foes can be heard through the fire and the flames.

"This cannot be! I could not have lost!"

"The miracle… Did not… Come to pass…"

"Again… The operation has failed…"

The surge began dying down when a weak and sad cry was heard before a thud sounded though out the cavern. And from that point everyone could tell, Rei's Shadow has been thoroughly defeated.


	22. Chapter 22: Accepting the Past

The lights from the attacks fade leaving the four Shadows on the ground, battered and broken. Each one disappeared into a puff of sinister smoke, leaving Rei's Shadow sitting on the ground, crying. The Shadow Operatives approached the Shadow cautiously, unsure if it will attack again. Aigis and Yukiko were tending to Labrys' and Zen's injuries and the still unconscious Rei, repairing and healing any and all injuries they may have.

"So what now?" Shinjiro asked.

"We can't do anything, how a Shadow self disappears depends on the owner." Yu said, looking back at Rei.

"Yeah, Rei-chan has to be the one to face herself. Deny or accept, the Shadow will go away but only one would put her at ease." Yosuke agreed.

"Then we have to keep an eye on it, until Rei recovers her consciousness." Mitsuru ordered.

"Mnnn…"

"Mom!" "Rei!"

"And right on cue…" Akihiko commented.

"What happened?" Rei asked weakly.

"Take a look and you can figure it out." Minato replied, moving aside. The others did the same, clearing the way for Rei to see her sobbing other self. "Oh… I remember now…" Rei said sadly. "Rei-chan, I told you before that we are here for you if you need someone to talk to. Share whatever it is that's burdening you with us, we won't turn you away or think any less of you if you do." Yukiko replied gently.

"…"

Rei stood up and began taking small, staggered steps towards her Shadow. Labrys and Zen followed her without saying a word, only stopping a step behind Rei when she stopped. Looking down at the Shadow, Rei stared at her Shadow with uncertainty, knowing now that she needs to come clean with the troubles that has been festering within.

"The life I lived wasn't so glamourous, I'm sure you all knew that. I died during a surgery without learning anything about the world outside my room. Zen found me after that, lost and alone in the afterlife. He tried to learn more about me and ended up pouring salt into my wounds, even though he meant well. I forgot everything after that because of Zen, but he made sure to never leave me from that point on. We lived a fake life together… And then I met the rest of you and wanted to go back. But after the truth was out, I was still afraid that my life was still meaningless and I continued to run. It was only after everything that I began to believe that things will be okay. With Zen, we came to this world and started a new life here. I thought I was making a difference this time but…"

"But?" Zen asked.

"I began to doubt myself. And it started with you Labby-chan." Rei replied as she turned to the girl.

"Me? But I just met you."

"I know, but when Yuki-chan told me a little about you, I began to feel… Jealous. You lived like me and did much more… I hated that. You had adventures, friends and family that cares and looks after you, a body that couldn't get sick, you were even catching Zen's attention… How could little Niko, a girl with no story to tell, compete with you? I didn't have the adventures you did, I didn't have friends or family by my side like you did, and my body was failing me unlike yours… I was confused… I didn't know what to think…"

"Then this woman came and took me away. She told me that my life never mattered to anyone, that I was just a passing face in the crowd, that I died for nothing, that I changed no one… And I believed her. The more I tried to deny it, the more I felt that it was true. The adventures we had... It was just wish fulfillment... Nothing good came out of it…"

"Rei-san, but we did change because we me you and Zen-san." Ken replied.

"Then did you really forgive Shin-chan when you returned? Did you give up your revenge after forgetting me?"

"…"

"See? Nothing changed… I didn't help anyone… Not even Zen…"

Rei collapsed onto her knees and said nothing. Zen crouched down next to her and placed a hand onto her shoulder.

"All I'm good for is causing trouble… Zen messed up his job because of me. All of you had to rescue me because I was in danger. And then there's this whole mess… Maybe it would have been better if I wasn't born…"

Labrys immediately grabbed Rei and lifted her by the collar, bringing then eye to eye. Everyone was startled and was about to interrupt when Zen stopped all of them with a wordless gesture. Rei, eyes wide and trembling, stared into Labrys' own, the anger burning within them as tears were just waiting to flow out.

"How could you say something like that so easily!? You are more important than you think you are! Without you, people would've died from the same disease you did! Without you, Zen would be nothing more than an all mighty calculator! Without you, I…"

Rei felt her feet touch the ground as Labrys' hands lowered, shaking as tears began dripping from her face.

"Labby-chan?"

"I… I wouldn't be here…" She choked out.

"I don't understand. Why do I matter if you're here or not?"

"Rei, do you remember taking part in an experiment when you were younger?" Zen asked.

"Yeah? But I never gotten anything back from them, so I thought it was for nothing."

"Something, or rather someone, did come out of it, Rei. Someone very important. And I think it's her job to tell you why."

Rei looked at Labrys again and saw a soft smile on her face, the fists grabbing her collar were now on her shoulders. Labrys was still crying but her eyes were clear, relieved, and happy.

"I want you to know Rei… That you did mean something to the world… That you weren't just a girl who lived just to die… That everything that you suffered through wasn't for nothing… I want you to know… That I'm your daughter."

Rei's eyes went wide, confusion and shock swirled in her head. But despite those feelings, something about that statement eased her heart. She looked at Zen for an answer, who nodded and stepped forward to explain.

"Rei, those experiments that you were part of was to help build the fifth generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons. You gave those scientists copies of your memories and personality that allowed that generation to be born and created. And one of them was Labrys, a girl who lived the life she has now because of you Rei. She's your daughter and you're her Mother, there's no doubt behind that."

Rei faced Labrys again and cupped her cheek, still unsure on what to say. Labrys just smiled and hugged her mother warmly, feeling Rei doing the same thing after a very brief moment of hesitation. The others simply smiled at the sight, saying nothing to interrupt the moment.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Mom… I just didn't know how…"

"I'm sorry too, I said things that made you mad… And I'm sorry for leaving you alone for all these years…"

"It's okay, you did more than enough for me. I just wished we were in a place that's not here."

Rei looked around and saw her Shadow still on the ground, not crying but simply staring blankly at the ground. "I'm glad it's here actually. I think it's about time I faced myself and everything I hated." Rei said as she broke the hug.

"Mom…"

Rei knelt on her knees in front of her Shadow and took its hands into her own. They were cold, so Rei gave them a warm squeeze. "I'm sorry, I've been really selfish haven't I? It's always been about me trying to be someone important… To be someone more than just a girl dying on a hospital bed… I know now that my life barely mattered to anyone, that I lived to be forgotten…"

The Shadow fell into Rei's shoulder and began crying, she could feel the tears soaking into her clothes. "Shhhhh… It's okay… You don't have to be sad anymore. Look, we gave birth to a beautiful girl… She has friends, a job, a family of her own…" Rei said, shedding tears herself. "I know that I'll never have the life she has and I'm jealous because of that… But I'm also happy and proud that she didn't end up like her sad, poor mother… And I know you feel the same… Because you are me… And I am you…"

With a small gentle smile, the Shadow began glowing as it began slowly disappearing in the azure light. Its form being replaced with a small blonde haired fairy, dressed in blue as rabbit ears gently bounced on its head. And when the fairy disappeared, a card fluttered down and disappeared into Rei's body, emitting a soft glow before fading. Rei began falling over before being caught by Zen and Labrys.

"Looks I'm like you guys now… I have a Persona…" Rei smiled.

"Yeah!" Yosuke and Chie cheered.

"Well done Rei-chan!" Yukiko said excitedly.

"I'm really sorry guys, you had to rescue me a second time." Rei apologized.

"Hey come on, you don't need to apologize. We would always come for our friend." Yukari said.

"Come Hell or high water, we'll always be there to help you!" Junpei declared.

"Oh yes! Rei-chan will always have her knights in shining armor right by her side!" Teddie shouted.

"Zen, I'm sorry." Rei said facing Zen.

"What for?"

"I doubted everything you taught me… I lost faith and made you worry… So I promise I won't do it ever again!"

"And I promise to always be there for you, to help you with whatever troubles you, and to protect you from all harm..."

"Oh come on you two! Enough with the vows and just kiss already!" Labrys interrupted with a smile. Without a moment of hesitation, the two pulled into an embrace and placed their lips on each other's. Cheers, whistling, and clapping resounded and echoed around them, but the two were trapped in their own world of bliss. The two broke their embrace after a few seconds and both their faces were flushed, though it was still difficult to tell with Zen due to his stoic personality.

"Okay… What now?" Rei asked, trying to get her head onto another topic.

"The culprit is still down here somewhere, so we will be searching for them. As for you, you will be escorted out of this cavern and be examined for any potential injuries. Labrys, Zen, lead Rei back to the surface and return as quickly as you can." Mitsuru replied.

"Still have about two hundred words I wanted to say… But Mom comes first."

"We'll see you in a bit. Come on Rei, let's…" Zen began before stopping.

"Zen?"

He immediately raised his crossbow and aimed it right for Rei. The others leapt back at the sudden action, confusion sweeping their minds at the sight. Fear began to take root in Rei's mind, wondering just what's happening. "Zen?" Rei's voice was shaky and nervous.

"Rei… Whatever you do, don't move…"

"Don't move? Is there…?" Rei began before feeling arms wrap around her with something gently and constantly brushing her skin.

 **Damn, you saw me… And I wanted to pull the classic your 'princess is in another castle' maneuver…**

Behind Rei was a woman with silky smooth dark hair, beautiful pale skin, and a gorgeous figure that is displayed by the tight evening dress she was wearing. But something about her was very unsettling, the glowing icy blue eyes was just the first clue to that fact.

Zen's eyes narrowed as he stared at the woman holding Rei, his grip on his crossbow tightened.

"It's been a while… Eris…"

* * *

 **I'm back! I made it out! The curse of silence has been broken!**

 **Still, our cast is now face to face with the culprit of this incident. How will they stand up to the big bad bitch?**

 **Since I just got back, I'll keep this part short. Just do the usual things if you enjoy this chapter and I will see you next week.**

 **So... Until next time. T1.**


	23. Chapter 23: Strife and Conflict

**I own none of the characters, only the world that this story takes place on.**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

The atmosphere was thick with uncertainty as Zen continued to aim at the dark haired Eris, who had her arms around Rei. Labrys kept one hand on her battle axe and the other on her magnum's grip, fingers twitching at every movement Eris was making. The others cautiously raised their weapons and began waiting for a moment to seize the woman.

"I have to say, being the center of attention is killing me. I know I'm good looking but I don't deserve all these stares… Unless you're expecting a show from me and her. I mean, this girl is pretty cute…" Eris said as she began playing with Rei's hair.

"Get this crazy lady away from me!" Rei yelled, trying to struggle out.

"Awww, don't say that… I promise to be gentle…" Eris whispered, pressing her cheek against Rei's. The woman then placed a quick kiss her captive's face, causing Rei to promptly freak out.

"ZEN!" Rei shouted, pushing Eris' face away from her own.

"This is a delicate situation Rei. Eris is unpredictable and she could pull a trick the moment I fire. But don't worry, when the opportunity comes I – where did she go?" Zen said before realizing that Eris was no longer behind Rei.

The others immediately drew there Evokers and aimed it to their heads, readying their other weapons as well. However, Minato felt like something as off about the fake gun in his hands. The grip didn't feel like metal but rather a mix of rubber and leather, the grip was also curved and round as opposed to square and straight. The face that Minato displayed says it all on what he was holding.

"There's a banana in my hand isn't there?" Minato asked, embarrassment and annoyance emanating from his voice.

"What the!?" Where…?" Yukari asked before searching her person.

"All my ammunition is missing too. What happened?" Aigis said

"You guys looking for these?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Eris, her skirt was raised and the Shadow Operatives' equipment were falling out from it. Evokers, grenades, ammunition, and even Naoto's and Labrys' other guns were piling up around her feet. Eris was simply staring at the others while the equipment finished falling, a silly smile was plastered on her face.

"Seriously, why do you need all of this stuff just to fight me? It's like you're going to war, and we all know what that's good for." Eris said, shaking her head.

"Absolutely nothing!" Chie shouted with pride. The others stared at the girl for going along with Eris' nonsense as the woman began snickering at the sight. "Sorry… I had to say it…" Chie said shyly, pressing her two index fingers together.

"Enough of your games Eris! Why are you here!?" Zen shouted.

"Oh lighten up Chronos, you know I don't mean any harm."

"Zen? How does she know your real name?" Rei asked, quickly running to Zen's side.

"This is Eris, an acquaintance I knew of during my days as Chronos. I never met with her often…But those few encounters I had were simply just her pulling her usual tricks. And she is one of several who were born with emotions, which made her antics all the more irritating."

"Those were the days… I still remember that I had some kind of one sided attachment to you. I mean I was practically trying everything to get your attention, grade A whoring as you Humans may know. But unlike me, you had the emotional capacity of a boulder, making all that time I spent on you wasted. Still imagined what I would do to you though, and the things I would do…"

"Time? Aren't you immortal?" Akihiko asked.

"Oh yes killer abs, but that meant I wasn't able to try out a few hobbies."

"Don't be fooled by such an innocent answer, the 'hobbies' that Eris spoke of is not what you think. One particular time, she posed as an aspect of death and lured souls of the deceased into her sadistic games. You would be appalled by the ventures Eris' delved into and experienced."

"What the hell did she do that's so scary?" Yosuke whispered to Chie.

"That's an excellent question! So come! Stay a while and listen, for I have many tales to tell!" Eris cheerfully said as she sat down in an armchair.

"Where did that come from!?" Teddie shouted as he stood up from a couch. "Huh!?" When did we!?" Labrys asked, looking around. And truth be told, everyone was seated in either a couch, sofa, loveseat, or armchair, all looking particularly confused except Zen and Rei. "Yeah, I kind of experienced this kind of nonsense earlier…" Rei said, adjusting herself as she was sitting on Zen's lap. "Everyone, please calm down. Eris creates these situation to sow confusion, allowing her to draw strength from it." Zen warned.

"Pulling this shit is how she gets stronger!?" Junpei yelled in surprise. "Well duh! I'm the manifestation of Strife and Conflict! This kind of thing is the conflict of perceived environment, where the world you thought you were in is actually completely wrong the next moment you notice. Now hush! I'm going to start my tales as the reaper of tragedy!"

"At one point during my infinite life I got incredibly bored after I was banned from interacting with Humans. So I began messing around with the dead when no one was looking. Borrowing the title God of tragedy from a friend, I posed as an aspect of death and waited for souls to wander to me from the great expanse. When souls come, there are two ways they could respond. The first would welcome me and I would take them to the afterlife, pretty boring considering that they died without regrets. But the second kind were very interesting and the kinds I have many stories to tell, the ones who wanted to bargain for their life."

"I don't like where this is going…" Shinjiro commented.

"Yes, they would get down on their hands and knees, cry their eyes out, and bargain with me to return them to the world of the living. So, I granted their wishes… And twisted it like an M. Night Shyamalan movie about pretzels. I won't tell you all of them, just two of my favorites. The first involved a man who wished for nothing more than to see his little girls grow up. So I showed him just who they grew up to be… Psychotic killers. That terrified face of his sure looked beautiful as he watched his daughters skin their dear mother alive. His screams came together so wonderfully with his wife's, even though he couldn't hear it since he ripped out his own ears…" Eris' voice was eerie and ghostly, yet somehow compelling that caused everyone to listen closely to her sadistic stories, no matter how disturbing it may be.

"How could you do that to someone!? How could you find this fun!?" Rise shouted.

"Oh if you thought I enjoyed that, wait till you hear the next one! It gives me the SHIVERS just remembering it!"

"Rise-chan! Don't taunt her!" Fuuka cried out.

"I would've told you even if none of you said anything. The second person was this lady who kicked it in her early twenties, really nice and friendly. All she wanted was to travel the world, see the sights, and meet all sorts of new people. So when she asked, I made sure she did… As a sex slave. From the beginning to end, I watched the tears just flowing down her face as all sorts of men used her body to fulfill their darkest desires… She went insane in about two months, though her tears were as delicious as day one in her new life." This time Eris spoke more casually and cheerfully, which spoke numbers more about her nature given the gravity of the subject.

No one said anything, simply staring in disbelief at the woman sitting before them. "As you can see, Eris has no qualms over using her powers to fulfill her need for sadistic pleasure. The 'wishes' she grants those lost souls were mere illusions, but the effect on them is real and has gone on for a while. " Zen explained.

"Didn't you cause some grief for your dear lover Chronos? How could you call me sadistic when you were just as bad?"

"Don't compare me to you! What I did was pure accident! I bore no emotions, meaning I wouldn't know what would create grief for others! But you… You're a sick twisted witch who causes pain on purpose! All to satisfy that disgusting sense of joy you have! I shudder to think about what would've happened to Rei had I not found her! And I cannot imagine what you had planned if you were the one who did!"

"Damn…" Labrys muttered, taken back by the normally stoic Zen's response.

"Oh yes… The girl who wanted to go to school and be useful to others… I have so many choices to choose from for someone like her… I could have put her into a world where she was the mule of the school. Everyone would pick on her, girls would steal her things, boys would beat her up, teachers won't give a damn about her… Even dear mommy and daddy would throw you away… And when you had enough, you will throw yourself off the school roof and wake up to face it all over again… How does that sound?" Eris sounded curious as she observed her audience's reaction. Rei was trembling slightly, Zen continued to intensify his glare, and the rest were displaying their own forms of silent anger.

"How about she grows up to see that not everything is as she expects it to be? She goes through school with no ambitions, no friends to relate to, and works a job with no purpose. Everything is wrong… There's nothing meaningful with what she does… She doesn't even have a man to share her sorrows… Only the company of a bottle could ease that pain, make her forget her problems. And one day, she decides not to wake up… Only to relive every last moment of it. Does that sound better to you?"

"Oh I'm going to hurt her badly…" Chie mumbled.

"Agreed." Yukiko replied.

"Oh! I got an even better Idea!" Eres shouted excitedly.

Silence…

"Ra-!"

Like a bat out of hell, Eris was swallowed by a wave of magic that began exploding the moment they began mixing together. Rei looked for the source of the attack and saw the Personas standing behind their owners, unleashing their powers on the goddess. The faces of her friends were clearly angered by Eris' immense disregard for not only their dear friend, but also people in general.

"How did you all summon your Personas without your evokers!? I know Aigis and Labrys could summon theirs without issue, but the rest of you need some kind of medium." Fuuka asked.

"Don't know. I just felt one hundred percent done with this crazy bitch." Shinjiro replied.

"Same, no one insults my friends like that." Teddie replied.

"Still, couldn't you guys do that a lot earlier!? I have those stories stuck in my head now." Rise said.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough sitting around, let's finish this." Kanji said standing up.

The others did the same and the Personas, once they ceased their attack, began chucking the furniture into the flames, retrieving the stolen equipment simultaneously. The additional objects provided fuel to the fire, allowing it to grow into a nice bonfire. Everyone gathered around the pile of burning junk and gazed longingly into the dancing light, nothing but the crackling kindle resounding through the chamber.

"I'm sorry that you were forced to listen to all that Rei. I hope you're not shaken up by it." Zen apologized.

"It's okay. You, Labby-chan, and everyone is here and the crazy lady is gone."

"Hey don't tell me she's actually beat…" Akihiko asked, half disappointed.

"I highly doubt that." Yosuke replied.

"Why the hell are you asking? Do you really want to fight someone who started a war over not being invited to a wedding? Do you have a death wish?" Shinjiro asked.

"No, I'm just surprised that she went down after a single barrage. Hey, could Koromaru smell anything?"

"I don't think so, Koromaru would have been reacting by now if she was still around." Ken answered as he stroked Koromaru's fur.

 **Miracle Pulse…**

"Hmm?" Teddie hummed, looking at the burning pile.

Before anyone knew, they were knocked back by a burst of magic and landed several feet away from the bonfire. But despite the distance they were thrown, everyone was unhurt though disorientated.

"What was that!? Owww – wait, that actually didn't hurt that much…" Chie groaned before realizing she felt no pain.

"What was that about? I thought we would be in a lot of trouble?" Labrys asked.

"You see, it's based on the conflict of expectation. I have an expectation of the attack doing one thing but your expectation could change the whole outcome. And since you weren't expecting it, all it would do is knock you back. Kind of like rolling two dice, getting zero on one of them, and then multiplying the two." Eris' voice replied.

"And she's still alive… Where are you so I can kick your ass!?" Labrys shouted.

"Same place I was standing ever since you rudely interrupted me! I mean, can't I give a suggestion without eating lead!? I feel offended and oppressed by your attempt to censor me! So as pay back…"

The group looked towards the shouldering pile of furniture and saw a rough orb hanging over it. Rusted and blasted metal plated some red, bleeding flesh as gnarled vines and roots bound it. The orb opened up much like a blooming flower, revealing Eris dressed in nothing but an astonishingly short night gown, sitting invitingly as she displayed her long and smooth legs for all to see. The discomfort returned as Eris continued to move about her seat sensually, her eyes slowly making contact with the Operatives before her.

"I get to wear this! Well, what do you think? Doesn't it get you all hot and heavy? Hmmm? Anyone?"

"Is it weird that I still find her hot even after all the shit she pulled?" Junpei asked quietly.

"You're not the only one…" Yosuke whispered.

"I'm feeling a little hot under the collar too…" Teddie replied.

"Damn it guys! Shut up! We don't want her getting any ideas!" Yukari shouted.

"No one has to give me ideas dear, it'll ALWAYS find a way to my mind. But I have to say… I'm doing a pretty good job at making you feel awkward and weird right? And seeing you all soooo uncomfortable makes me want to get MORE comfortable…" Eris cooed, slowly slipping the gown from her shoulders.

A hand, made of the same material as the bloomed orb, emerged from thin air before a bolt and bullet bounced off its rusted plating. The other's looked to see Zen with an unloaded crossbow and Labrys with a smoking gun, both aiming at Eris.

"Eris, I had just about enough of you. If you don't explain to us the reasoning behind all of this, we're going to force you back to where you belong." Zen threatened.

The hand faded, revealing Eris once more, only that she was draped a concealing dark robe that covered her entire body, the ends hanging as she levitated before everyone. "Oh fine, I think I had enough fun for now. So go ahead, ask your questions and I shall give you my honest answer, guaranteed."

"Saying 'guaranteed' just makes us think you're lying…" Yosuke mumbled.

"What is this labyrinth for exactly? Demons, Shadows, and creatures of Grimm are gathering to this point, so it must have a purpose." Mitsuru asked.

"Well it's mostly the black goop I'm aiming for… But yeah, this whole place is the means to funnel the dank dark feels blobs back to… Get this… Earth."

"Funnel back? You don't mean…!?" Yukiko asked.

"You're dumping Sanctuary's Shadows back onto Earth!?" Teddie shouted.

"That's what I said."

"But why are you doing it that way? Shouldn't it be the other way around? You know, flood the streets with Shadows from Earth to take over the world?" Junpei asked.

"Junpei!" Yukari shouted.

"It's an honest question! Every time we fight a psycho like her they want to use Shadows to take over the world! But she's doing the exact opposite!"

"Well that's because someone called in for a favor. He wanted me to find a place with some monsters and flood Earth with them by any means necessary. And since I was bored out of my mind and had nothing to do, I decided to help, pretty reasonable huh?"

"No! That isn't reasonable at all! You kidnapped people because you were bored!? What if they died!?" Yosuke shouted angrily.

"Oh come on, there's no need to get all grump about this. No one would've died, I would make sure of it. Besides they would be a lot more useful to me alive. Why are you angry about that anyway? Did I touch a nerve or something?"

"Deep breathes Yosuke…" Chie said as she grabbed Yosuke's shoulder before he could move forward.

"How would the kidnapped be useful to you? None of them have particularly dangerous skills that would make them an asset to your cause." Naoto argued

"Ah but that is where you're wrong detective, they are an asset. You see, this place isn't like the TV World and Tartarus that you all are familiar with, it's a haven in the rift between two worlds."

"A haven in the rift?" Zen asked.

"Oh yes, dear Chronos, something you are very familiar with. These pockets have a habit of appearing when souls of the dead are trying to go from A to B, usually because it gives them a moment to reflect on their life. Then someone from the circle of Death comes and leads or forces the souls to their destination. You should know this Chronos, you were part of the gloom doom troupe." enter

"Of course, but only aspects of Death are allowed to enter those pockets after divine Providence made sure no others could follow in your wicked footsteps. How did you go about and CREATE a haven in the rift?"

"I was getting to that. I needed to do some research, so I got a friend to get some books from his brother and after years of reading and spell testing, I found it. You see, Gods like you and I can actually create our own havens to dwell in, a private room of sorts. However it requires an anchor to properly work, one for a pocket in the rift and two for a connection between worlds. To build them, it requires souls that displays the affinity of the creator to gather in one place, the more there are the stronger the anchor. For example, if a fire god were to create an anchor, they need to have enough pyromaniacs to be next to one another to be successful. And that is what I did, expect I did one anchor on Earth and another here by finding those undergoing strife, my element, and brought them together." Eris explained.

"That… Is confusing as hell. Are these things that people aren't supposed to learn about?" Kanji asked.

"Well yeah, this information was never meant for mortal minds. If I went into greater detail, you guys would've exploded all over the place. Point is, I kidnapped conflicted peps to make an anchor and made this lovely place."

"Then why isn't it closing when we saved your captives? Was it because it grew strong enough to support itself?" Minato asked.

"Now you're using your head! I designed my anchors to be super stable, it could sustain itself even when a conduit, a person, is missing. And by the time you got to the last one, I was able to give it enough power so that it can work long after everyone has been rescued. So unless you beat me, this thing will never close and Earth will be flooded by your problems twenty four seven."

"But why did you put Mom all the way down here? Isn't there more conflicted people than her?" Labrys asked.

"Yeah! Why am I the one all the down here!?" Rei shouted."

"Four words… Because it's a cliché! The beautifully devious queen kidnaps the kind princess, causing her noble prince and his merry band of knights to set out to rescue her. And I have to say, it was pretty awesome to watch you all fight your way to save not only her but everyone else. Also it was to make sure Chronos and I have a nice little reunion since he couldn't exactly visit after trading in his Godhood for the love a woman. I mean seriously, it gets lonely down here in the dankest pits of the unconsciousness."

"I think we have all our answers… Now, leave and don't expect me to repeat myself." Zen threatened.

"Ohhhh, demanding, if only you were like that back in the day… Still, I don't want to leave yet, I have a bucket list that needs crossing out. There are souls that needs torturing, food that needs to be eaten, shoplifts to mall, and I still have a date I need to go to tomorrow."

"You have a date?" Ken asked in disbelief.

"No, no, no, go back to the one before. Shoplifts to maul!? What does that even mean!?" Yukari asked.

"Christ… This chick gets crazier every time she opens her mouth…" Shinjiro mumbled.

"If you guys want me to leave so badly… I guess you have to kick me out." Eres suggested playfully.

"Lady, I don't know who you think you are, but we beat Gods a hundred times scarier than you!" Kanji shouted.

"Then let me show you how scary I can be… But first, a change in scenery for… Dramatic purposes…"

With a snap of her fingers, the entire chamber began shaking violently, knocking over some while others desperately tried to stay on their feet. But it wasn't before long that a massive force began pushing everyone to the ground, even Aigis and Labrys couldn't resist it.

"Zen! What is she doing!?" Rei shouted.

"I don't know! But it's something dramatic!"

"Isn't this overdoing it!?" Labrys yelled.

Then… It stopped as suddenly as it began, allowing everyone to get back up. "Now the stage is set… Behold!" Eris shouted, raising her arms into the air. Cracks began forming along the walls, floor, and ceiling, even between everyone. Dust fell from the ceiling as the sound of tearing rock resounded through everyone's ears. Before long, the chamber crumbled to reveal that they were several thousand feet in the air, violet clouds swirling all around them. To make matters worse, the floor separated from underneath them, forcing everyone to stand still on their own floating rock as they began drifting apart.

"Don't you love this view!? Perfect for a climactic showdown!" Eris laughed.

"Yikes! This is serious!" Rise yelled over the coms.

"I'm contacting the other armies for immediate aerial support!" Fuuka said.

"That won't be necessary darling, this should be kept between us." Eris replied, snapping her fingers. In all directions, hundreds of lightning bolts flew down and struck several parts of the surrounding landscape, both close and far away.

"Something tells me that's where our back up is…" Junpei commented.

"Bad news guys! All aerial transports, gunships, fighters, everything has been destroyed! You're on your own until more comes!" Rise announced.

"Tell them to wait! It'll be pointless to send them in if Eris could just blow them up at will!" Minato ordered.

"Great, so we're on our own… And we're sitting ducks on these rocks." Akihiko complained.

"Don't worry about that, the rocks you're standing on could be controlled with your thoughts. All you have to do is will it to move in the direction you want and boom, it moves in that direction. But now I shall change out into something more appropriate for this epic climax. AHHHHHHHH!"

Blood began seeping out of Eris' skin, slowly swallowing her in a growing orb of ruby. The orb rippled as it continued to grow, saturating the air with the foul scent of blood, causing everyone to cover their nose from the smell. The orb soon stopped expanding, its size is almost as large as a three story house, and the shiny surface began drying, giving it the appearance of a scab.

"That… Is definitely going into my nightmare fuel folder…" Junpei commented, still staring at the dried orb.

"I think it's only going to get worse…" Naoto replied.

"That is correct my darling! Behold my lovely visage! Let its beauty burn itself into your eyes! Your minds! Your hearts! YOUR SOULS!"

Slits began forming all over the orb, gnarled roots and vines poked out of some, rusted shards of metal out of others, and pieces of bones from the rest. The scabbed orb expanding again as the objects were being pushed out more and more, cracking the surface. Pieces flew out as something emerged from within, something that was just as horrific as what they were expecting.

Each half of the giant creature was themed differently, it's left composed of blasted and rusted metal while the right was tangled and gnarled plant life. However, underneath both were a gelatinous fleshy red that twitched uncontrollably. The metal half shielded the half of the torso with plates of metals but had strange holes imbedded within it. The plant half was just a rib cage that held damaged but still pulsating organs within, leaking both blood and mucus towards the ground. Its face was the same, where the metal half had the ruined face of a smiling woman crying tears of rust. The other was just a skull composed of the twisted plants, the eye though was fleshy and darted between each of its opposition.

"I am Eris, mankind's strife and discord. Since awakening, man was in conflict with the cruelty of the world around him. Nature, with forces beyond control, preyed on man's nativity and sent her vicious beasts and raging storms in an attempt to return them to the void. This was the first strife, man against nature. But survival was in man's hearts, allowing them to persist against the disasters and flourish. Then came the second strife where man fought with fellow man for reasons known or unknown, grandiose or petty. Emotions flare, blood is spilt, and chaos erupts between family, neighbors, communities, kingdoms, and countries. But peace was achieved when man put aside their differences and united together, performing the most impossible feats together as one. This revolution however only brought forth the third, most terrifying of the three, conflict against one's self… Where confusion, hatred, sadness, and wraith divides the mind from the heart from acting as one… As you all are familiar with…" Her voice boomed like thunder and some almost feel off to the sudden push caused by the sound.

"These three conflicts are what defines Man! Three discords that instills fear into their hearts! Three powers that gives me strength! So raise your weapons souls of the perished! See if your courage can rebel against the timeless struggles of your kind!"

"I was once like you Eris… I believed that Humankind was doomed by forces they have no hope of conceiving… But I have seen the potential of these seemingly naïve souls. They have a power to change not only themselves, but the world around them. Nature may lay waste to their creations but they shall always rise again to rebuild ones even greater. War may rise between them but it will always be countered by those bearing the flag of peace, always trying to end the fighting before it begins. And in times of personal strife, one can rely on their allies and families to restore their faith in themselves. That is how Humanity has survived your strife and those are the possibilities that I have put my own belief in. And that is why I… No… We will show you what even souls of the perished could do in the face of a God!"

"Well said Zen. You hear that!? We won't back down from something like this! From someone like you!" Minato yelled.

"We're ending it right here! Right now! No matter how impossible the path is, we can overcome it together!" Yu shouted.

"In fact, why don't you just run off and save yourself the humiliation we're about to give you!" Labrys taunted.

"How interesting… Then let me spice things up…"

A piercing screech resounded through the air, causing all to cover their ears from the sound. But once it faded, confusion was in the air as to what the noise did.

"Was that it?" Ken asked.

"I don't think so… Does anyone feel weird?" Chie asked.

"No, I'm good." "Perfectly fine." "Healthy" "Okay and ready to go!"

"Guys…" Fuuka said fearfully.

"Yamagishi, what's wrong?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'm getting several enemy readings coming from the horizon…"

"Several!? More like in the thousands! There are a bunch of Shadows, Grimm, AND Demons heading right for you guys in every directions!" Rise shouted.

"Oh shit! What are we going to do!? We have no air support!" Junpei asked.

"What about anti-airs!? Could the armies mobilize them!?" Naoto suggested.

"I'll see if I can get them to!"

"So let's see how you all will fair with a time limit on your hands. I won't smash any more of your toys, so don't worry about them… Instead, worry about what happens when you don't defeat me... Hurry before you become prey to the darkness you claim to fight…" Eris said with a grin.

"Then this will be our last battle! Is everyone ready!?" Minato yelled.

"Ready!"

"Then let's give her hell Shadow Ops!" Yu shouted.

"Get ready Eris… Your time has come…"

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 23.**

 **I love Eris, but I hate having to write about the evil shit she pulls on people. But how do you feel about her?**

 **And other than the usual trash I leave down here, I have nothing for you this week either.**

 **So please leave anything in the comments and I shall see you next time.**

 **Until then. T1.**


	24. Chapter 24: Turmoil and Awakening

**None of this is mine, except the world they all stand on.**

 **Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.**

* * *

"Gaia's Reclamation!"

From Eris's right half, roots and branches shot out towards the Shadow Operatives in an attempt to knock them off their rocks. Only one was hit, though he stood firmly in place as his sword grinded against the bark.

"Junpei! You okay!?" Yukari shouted as she fired several arrows.

"Just peachy! Light her up Trismegistus!"

Junpei's Persona merged and began throwing out fireballs that violently exploded against Eris's main body, though the plant side was catching fire as opposed to the metal one.

"It seems that each half has a weakness. Fire for her right and lightning for her left." Fuuka informed.

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem to do a lot to her overall health though…" Rise replied.

"Infernal Grapeshot!"

A plate of metal slide open on Eris' body and fired out several hundred golf ball sized missiles that began homing in on various members of her opposition. "That isn't grapeshot at all!" Aigis shouted as she began shooting at the explosives.

"Anachronism Stew motha fuckas! Now stay still so I can bust a cap in yo ass!"

"Yosuke!" Yu shouted.

"Got it!"

"I'll help too!" Yukari replied.

"Magarudyne!" The two shouted. A wind began howling furiously as the missiles were blown off course and detonated nearby Eris, the storm also buffeted the goddess as well.

"I have to say, for a three story tall monster, she's not that tough. For one thing, she's slow!" Akihiko said before leaping to another rock as Eris swiped at him.

"Yeah! Way too easy!" Chie agreed.

"Even her attacks could be used against her! Matarukaja!" Kanji shouted.

"But something isn't right. I don't know what but we should be careful! Megidolaon!" Naoto shouted.

A flash of white enveloped Eris completely and left only a shouldering mass at the center, allowing the group a chance to rest. Zen stopped leaping around and set Rei down onto the rock the two were on, being careful not to let her fall. Rei looked sick from all the jumping Zen had to do while fighting, but the contents of her stomach managed to stay where it was.

"I know that isn't enough to end you Eris! Stop delaying your defeat!" Zen shouted.

The mass peeled open like a fruit and a refreshed Eris emerged, looking to fight once more. "You kids got me good... Couldn't regenerate all of that… So Auntie Eris will now stop kidding around and start playing to win…"

A golden light started to gather over Eris' head before shooting straight into the air, caution filled the Shadow operatives.

 **To the fairest** …

The light fell over Yosuke and it dropped onto him, a resonating ping sounded as it touched his head. Not much else occurred a few moments afterwards, though Yosuke found himself feeling extraordinarily stronger than before.

"Did… Did she just buff Yosuke-senpai!? What the hell was that about!?" Rise asked.

"You feeling alright Yo-chan?" Rei questioned.

"Perfectly fine... What's your game crazy lady?"

"I don't know, ask them." Eris replied nonchalantly, pointing behind Yosuke.

Yosuke looked behind him and met the daggers being glared at him by the rest of the Investigation Team, even Labrys was doing it. Everyone was caught off guard by the sudden rise in aggression towards their fellow Persona user, which was certainly alarming.

"Uh guys? Why are you glaring at me like that?"

"You damn well know why! Why did she give you the good stuff!? Are you betraying us for her!?" Chie shouted.

"Huh!?"

"Damn it Senpai! I knew you like hot chicks but accepting things from an insane bitch like her is a new low!" Kanji yelled.

"Hold on! I'm not…!"

"How could you Yosuke!? I thought we were friends!?" Teddie cried.

"What the hell is going on!?"

"Yosuke, I'm sorry… But we have to put you down." Yu stated plainly.

"Oh not you too!"

Their Personas were suddenly summoned and all began converging on Yosuke, whom promptly began running away as quickly as possible. "Help me!" Yosuke shouted as he dodged a decapitation from Suzuka Gongen, Chie's Persona.

"How the hell do you expect us to do that!? Go up to them and say 'hey you shouldn't do that'!? They'll kill us if we get that close!" Junpei asked.

"Anything is better than just standing around! Just try and – Gah!?"

Yosuke was interrupted mid jump as a red string tangled around his torso and pulled him towards the owner. He stopped suddenly as he saw a hand was holding him over the scenic drop below by his leg, with the other removing his Evoker from his holster. "L-L-Labrys…?" Yosuke could feel a little liquid seeping out of his bladder as the girl stared at him with cold eyes.

"What?" She coldly replied.

"Could you please tell me what I did wrong?"

"You were planning to turn on us, that's what. Why else did she give you some sweet stat boosts?"

"I'm not working with her!"

"I wish I could believe you… See you around." Labrys replied. But before Labrys could release her grip, a chain wrapped around Yosuke's torso as Labrys was launched away by Aigis. He was then pulled up by Mitsuru's Persona Artemisia and found stable footing on the rock, still confused as to what is going on with his friends.

"Sister! What has gotten into you!? Hanamura-san is our friend!" Aigis yelled.

"He WAS my friend! Don't you find it weird that she gave him help!?"

"Does that mean you guys are turning on us too!?" Yukiko asked.

"Where did you get that idea!? We're just looking after the guy you decided to attack!" Shinjiro argued.

"It seems the others won't listen Senpai, we have to take them down to get to our little problem." Naoto said.

"You're not listening! He isn't the problem, you are!" Akihiko replied.

"Kujikawa! You have to convince your friends to stand down!" Mitsuru said.

"Sorry, but I'm siding with Senpai on this one! All of you are acting really weird after Yosuke-senpai got his buff!"

"Rise-chan!?" Fuuka cried in surprise.

"Yamagishi! Could you tell us what's happening to everyone!?" Mitsuru ordered.

"I'll see If I can…"

"Fuuka?" Yukari asked.

"Sorry! I'm trying to fend off Rise-chan!"

"Excuse me!?" Junpei asked, not sure if he heard that right.

"She's trying to interrupt my ab… Rise-chan stop! I'm not the enemy!"

"Then why do you have to scan Senpai and the others!? That's real suspicious of you Fuuka-chan!"

"Can't you scan them Mitsuru-san?" Ken asked.

"If even Yamagishi is being jammed then I doubt I could do anything."

"Then it looks like we have no choice but to fight some sense into them." Ken said sadly as he took his stance. Koromaru whined but began bearing his knife at their new set of 'enemies'.

"Don't make me do this guys." Yosuke threatened raising his kunai.

"I don't think threats work…" Minato replied.

"It seems like we have no say in the matter Hanamura-san. Here is your Evoker." Aigis agreed as she handed the man the device.

The Persona Users were on the verge of erupting into a nasty mid-air civil war, but Rei could do nothing as she watched her friends tear each other apart. Rei wanted to shout out something, but considering how deep the aggression progressed and how all words failed, she doubt her words could reach them either. "What are we going to Zen!? Everyone's fighting each other and… Zen?"

Rei then noticed that Zen wasn't next to her, in fact, he wasn't on any of the rocks. Looking around, she noticed that Eris' giant form wasn't moving and was in fact limp but still floating. That was when the sounds of fighting can be heard, not only did it emanate from the Persona users but also above the abomination at the center. When she looked, there was Zen with two small clouds at his feet staring down Eris, who was armored in black Hoplite armor and robes and armed with an intricate staff.

The two were trading blows, but Zen was constantly put at a disadvantage every time Eris moved in for some old fashioned CQC. And even at a range, Zen had to dodge and weave between the myriad of spells before he could get a few shots off himself. Eris flinched as a few arrows pierced her but she managed to catch the one flying straight to her face. "Nice shooting Chronos, but I doubt you'll be able to mar this beautiful face of mine."

"I just did." Zen replied as he pointed at the arrow that was still in her hand. Eris grew curious and brought the projectile closer to her face, before noticing a number one on it… That then exploded into a cloud of fine mist that caused the Goddess to react rather violently to.

"AHHHHH! You bastard! This shit burns!"

"Yes and this will sting a lot." Zen replied before snapping his finger.

Eris barely opened her eyes when she felt several objects lodging itself into her flesh and that was certainly before all of them exploded into different kinds of magic, leaving a cloud of smoke in her place. Zen raised his crossbows again to ready to strike again, only to find himself being blown back by a stream of light. His body collided with one of the many rocks on the battlefield and groaned as the pain began spreading through his body.

"Zen! Are you okay!?" Rei asked as she leapt to him.

"I'm fine Rei, I just made a mistake."

"But what about everyone else!? They're tearing each other apart because of something she did!"

"That's what I'm working towards. If I hurt Eris enough, the effects will be dispelled. Alternatively, powerful magic should be able to break them out of their trance. Mine isn't strong enough on its own and will require an incantation, however…" Zen picked up Rei and immediately jumped to another rock before a chunk of ice crushed them. "As you can see, Eris isn't making it easy on me. For now, try to sway one of them to stop their assault, maybe Labrys will listen to you."

"I'll try, just be careful against her." Rei replied. Zen nodded and gave a small kiss before returning to battle against the Goddess who was patiently waiting for her opponent's return. Rei felt her rock wobble slightly and looked to see that Labrys crashed into it, looking even more furious. "Damn… Once I get back over there I'm going to…" Labrys grumbled. Before she could jump back into battle, Rei grabbed onto her arm and held on as tight as she could.

"Mom? Why are you stopping me?"

"Because Yo-chan isn't the bad guy! That crazy woman is! She's making you all fight each other!"

"Not you too… Mom, please, think about it. Why would she give Yosuke a stat boost out of nowhere? Nothing we ever faced did that before. So the only reasonable explanation is that Yosuke is somehow working with her."

"That's not reasonable at all! Yo-chan is sweet and nice and too loyal to everyone to just lick the boots of someone he just met today! Tearing each other apart is just what she wants! Labby-chan please listen to me! To your Mom!"

Labrys, though rather pained, forcefully pulled her arm away from Rei and returned to the fight against her 'former' friends. Rei could only continue to stare in desperation at the needless bloodshed that her friends found themselves in. They were all fighting each other so readily, swords sparked as they collided, bullets flew close enough to leave cuts, Personas unleashing devastating skills upon their opposition… All of this madness pained the girl's heart as she wants nothing more than to have everything end so that all of them, as friends, could go home together laughing and smiling. But that wish was slowly being beaten down like her friends, blow by blow by the truth before her…

"Stop… You're going to die…" Rei croaked out as she fell to her knees.

"Please stop…" She whispered but the roaring chaos drowned out her voice.

"Stop…"

"I don't want anyone to die…"

There was a heavy throbbing in her head and chest, a feeling that resonated with her increasing feeling of fear. But despite the pain, it felt as if it was waiting to be released but was still being held back. That was when Rei saw it… Labrys holding her axe high above her head with a battered and unconscious Yosuke on the ground right in front of her. Rei's eyes grew as the feeling within snapped…

ENOUGH!

A force erupted as a shining blue light forced all to focus on its source, the azure rays overpowering all other colors around them. Rei felt her feet find their way underneath her and she stood absent minded, clasping her hands together as if to pray. That was when a lone card floated before her, Rei's eyes closed before whispering a word that all could hear…

"Persona…"

The card burst and its shards began coming together to form a small blonde figure clad in a blue dress as its wings fluttered on its back. Its eyes opened to reveal solid blue orbs gazing at the battlefield before releasing a golden light from its hands. Warmth embraced the Shadow Operatives and Zen, the wounds upon their bodies visibly fading and a sense of calm washed over them. The small Persona disappeared before Rei fell back onto her knees, face pale with exhaustion.

"That was Salvation… But it's so much stronger… Is this Rei-chan's power?" Yukari asked.

"Wow… That was one hell of a wakeup call…" Yosuke groaned as he got up.

"Guys! Whatever was affecting Yu-kun and the others is now! Rei-chan cured them!" Fuuka shouted.

"Uhhh… What were we cured from exactly?" Chie asked.

"You don't remember!? You guys tried to kill me!?" Yosuke shouted.

"Why would we do that Yosuke? We're the best of buds." Teddie replied.

"It's true! All of you tried to kill me because you thought I sided with her!"

"We had to fight you guys to try and beat some sense into you. Are you saying you don't remember that either?" Akihiko asked. After a moment of thought, a flicker in their expression signaled that something came to their minds. The memories of what transpired several moments ago all came coming back.

"Oh shit! Why did we do that!?" Kanji shouted.

"I almost killed him twice… Oh God… I'm so sorry Yosuke." Labrys apologized.

"It's fine… It's the crazy lady's fault anyway."

"It's not fine Yosuke, we hurt everyone and almost killed you over something stupid. If Rei-chan didn't cure us, I don't know what would've happened." Chie replied.

"Speaking of which, where is she?" Yukiko asked.

"Present…"

Everyone turned to the weak groan and saw Zen carrying a still very pale Rei, her eyes was barely able to stay open. "Did… Did I do well?"

"You did more than that Rei-san, you were able to save us from doing something absolutely unforgivable. Thank you." Naoto answered.

"You're welcome…"

"I just hope it was worth the exhaustion, you look terrible." Zen said.

"If it means protecting everyone… Then yeah… It was worth it…"

"Weren't you fighting the crazy lady Zen-san?" Ken asked.

"She went into a contemplative state, none of my attacks were dealing any damage to her. So I took the chance to check on Rei, she takes precedence over Eris."

"That is careless of you Zen, you don't know if that was a ruse." Mitsuru replied.

"If that was the case then she would've taken this chance to crush us, but she didn't. Take a look."

Zen pointed at the Goddess, whom was sitting on the head of her monstrosity thinking deeply. There were several bolts impaling her, including her head, though it seems she was more focused on her thoughts than the foreign objects piercing her.

"Then let's quickly regroup before she has a chance to leave that state. Yamagishi, how is Kujikawa?"

"I'm fine… Rei-chan got me too. We're trying to figure out what it did to all of us exactly."

"From what I can gather, Rei-chan's Salvation not only healed you and cured your status ailments, but also revived Yosuke-kun to full health, improved all of your abilities, and gave you something called blessed. But I'm still not sure what that does." Fuuka summarized.

"And the buff that Yosuke-senpai got from psycho bitch is gone. It seems to be tied to our aggression from earlier." Rise added.

"Holy crap! Little Rei-chan did all that!? Sweet, now we can fight harder, better, faster, and stronger! You hear that lady! You're screwed!" Junpei shouted. Eris didn't respond and was still deep in thought, which kind of bummed him out.

"You guys should try not to waste it, Rei-chan's energy is extremely low now. Though it is recovering little by little." Rise replied.

"I'm still caught up on how it could be that powerful. Messiah's isn't anywhere near that effective." Minato commented.

"I think I figured it out…"

The Goddess appeared in front of Rei and took hold of the hand with her ring. The others immediately raised their weapons and aimed it Eris, Zen could only begin an incantation as he could raise anything without dropping Rei first. "Lady, let go of my Mom." Labrys threatened.

"So this is how she was able to use your power Chronos…" Eris said, ignoring Labrys.

"Hey! I was… Wait, what?"

"Support gals! How do you interpret these two's vitals!?"

"Um! Usually we see vitals as a kind of gauge, two actually! One for physical health and another for mental health!" Fuuka replied nervously, having been directly addressed by a Goddess.

"It's the same for Zen-kun and Rei-chan, they have their own… Wait, now it looks like their two gauges are together. It's just like the time in the Labyrinths, they're sharing health and energy!" Rise added.

"Then I assumed you gave this girl your pieces of your powers before right? Then this time it would be the same thing, except that this time, you did it unconsciously. This little ring on her finger is enchanted and bound to your own, specifically meant to give the other strength when they needed it most, a collective pool where you both can drink from."

"But I never enchanted them when I made the rings. Items cannot be enchanted without the proper preparation, material, and intention, otherwise nothing happens."

"That's where you're wrong, there are two other ways of enchanting items besides the ritual method. There's adding magical material into the forging process, where the item would inherit the material's properties. And then there is soul imprinting, where the item automatically inherits the maker's traits and personality. That is what you did Chronos, you imprinted these rings with your passion, love, and dedication for the girl. And since she returns these feelings, the power of within them is only amplified. I'm actually surprise that your bond is still pretty strong after what I put her through. Even with strife and doubt plaguing her heart, she still loves you with every fiber of her being."

Eris then let go of Rei's hand, allowing the two to contemplate the explanation that the Goddess gave them. It was only after a few moments that the two were flashing a small satisfied smile, a new resolve blooming in their hearts. The others began feeling this rise in strength as well and was determined to end this battle for the sake of Zen and Rei.

"Uh oh, I didn't mean to fire you all up! Looks like I done goof!"

Eris was no longer standing among them, instead she was sitting back on top of the monstrous husk at the center. Everyone simply turned to the Goddess and began staring at her with heads held high and weapons held firmly in their hands. Zen placed Rei down and drew his crossbows again, aiming them once more at his enemy.

"Miss Eris, I want to thank you." Rei said.

"Oh? What for?"

"If you didn't kidnap me, I wouldn't have found out so many things tonight… That I have friends who still cared so much about me… That I have a beautiful daughter I never knew… That the man I love is still with someone like me… I feel more alive than ever before… And you were the cause of everything. So thank you..." Rei replied before bowing.

"Well don't thank me yet girl, you all still have to win. And this time… I'm going to bury you!"

Eris sank into the head of the husk and it began moving once more, roaring in defiance. But it didn't startle anyone, instead, they took it as a challenge and began readying their own attacks.

"You ready Mom!? It's about to get crazy!" Labrys asked.

"It's scary… But I won't let you or anyone else get hurt while I'm here!"

"Then let's end this! Eris! Your end has come!" Zen shouted.

"Very well! Let us see if this renewed determination of yours can withstand the trials and tribulations of my powers! But enough talk… Have at you!"

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 24!  
**

 **For those in the States, how was your Thanksgiving? Eat plenty of delicious food? And for those outside, how was your week? Enjoyed some good food?**

 **Anyhow, how was the story? Was there anything that bothered you? If so, remember to make a comment on it. But I digress...**

 **When I thought of the team fighting each other for this chapter, I had a thought... Why didn't Persona 4 Arena and Ultimax use Eris as the great big bad for that story line? It would make sense since Eris is a Goddess of Strife and Conflict, meaning that setting up the Persona users to fight each other would be right up her alley. How do you feel about this?**

 **As for Zen and Rei's rings being enchanted through Zen's efforts to make them, I can tell you a few stories that supports what I wrote at the end of the chapter. If you have questions about this, send me a message.**

 **Anyway, that is all I have for you this week. So...**

 **Until next time. T1.**


	25. Chapter 25: Against All Odds

**I don't anything except the world this story takes place on.  
**

 **Warning, may contain moments of OOC.**

* * *

 **Grotesque Whisperings!**

Mitsuru, Kanji, Aigis, and Teddie found distorted and distrubing voices resonating in their heads, causing them to panic. "We got panicked party members people!" Rise shouted

"On it! Isis, Me Patra!" Yukari called out. The winged Persona appeared and released a light that calmed down the afflicted, allowing them to get back into the battle. "Thank you Yukari! Now hit her with everything you got!" Mitsuru thanked before summoning her Persona.

"I don't think so! Razing of Troy!" Eris shouted before a wave of flames began spreading outwards. Some threw up their guard but others where too late and go caught in the blaze. Though a few weren't bothered by the raging inferno they found themselves standing within. "You're going have to be hotter than that to burn me! Let her have it! Trismegistus!" Junpei taunted.

"Right! Amaterasu! Burning Petals!" Yukiko shouted. Koromaru let out a howl at the same time and the two Personas emerged from the blue light, one a three headed dog and the other a shining lady. Along with Trismegistus, the three began throwing back their own flames that promptly exploded when it made contact with the Goddess.

"Then how about this!? **Revelation of Thebes!** "

A disturbing idea wormed itself into everyone's thoughts and found themselves cringing at whatever that idea was. "Augh! That's gross!" Chie shouted. "It's pretty disturbing to say the least…" Minato agreed.

"Be careful! All of your resistances have become weaknesses!" Fuuka warned.

"Shit… I'm weak to everything now…" Yu mumbled in horror.

"Although I would've liked if it corroded all your resistances but that would've been OP as hell! So let me follow it up with something a lot cooler! Demeter's Curse!" Eris shouted with glee. A frigid wind began swirling around as snow began falling at an alarming rate, the Shadow Operatives could feel their body being numbed by the sudden frost fall. "It's so cold!" Teddie shouted.

"Don't go hibernating on us! We've still got a lot of trouble to deal with!" Shinjiro yelled.

"Easy for you to say! You're not strong or weak against anything! So give me that coat Shinji!" Akihiko yelled.

"That's why we keep telling you to stop going into battle bare chested!"

"If you think this is cold then wait till you get a load of this! Treasure of Aeolus!"

The winds began blowing harshly and transformed the heavy snowfall into a thrashing blizzard. "Damn it! Quit making it worse for us!" Yosuke yelled, shielding his face from the snow. "What was that!? You have to speak up! I can't hear you over all this awesome I'm throwing out!" Eris laughed.

"Demeter, lady of green, grant us your blessings. Join hands with your dearest daughter and banish the chill that plagues the world. Let Spring bloom once more from the pure white snow. Persephone, maiden of youth, grace us with your blessings. Restore our strengths and reinvigorate our weary bodies so that we may defeat the evil before us." Zen chanted.

A warm gust swept through the air, pushing the driving snow elsewhere as a cool light covered the Shadow Operatives. "The storm has been banished and your resistances should have been restored. We have to apply pressure to stop her from attacking."

"Good luck with that, I have the poise of a… What was that?" Eris began before feeling something hitting the back of her head. That was when several sharp pains began burrowing into her skull, causing her to flail about violently in an attempt to shake off the source. "Who's doing that!? Are you trying to blow my brains out!?"

"Of course I am lady, you've been fucking with us all night so I decided to return the favor." Labrys said as she held her tightly onto her axe, which was wedged into the gnarled roots of Eris' skin. Despite the swaying, Labrys forcefully jammed her fist into the weakened fibers of Eris' head that was made with her gun. "And you might want to get some aspirin, you're about to get one hell of a nasty headache."

Before the Goddess could swat the robot girl, Labrys grappled onto a rock and moved away with her axe in tow. It was only after a few seconds that a part of the Goddess' head exploded, scattering plant matter into several direction. "FUCK! That's it! I was nice enough to not use this because it's just plain evil! BUT NOW I'M PISSED!"

A dark cloud formed over Eris and began rapidly growing in size, eventually it began swallowing her and everything surrounding her. "Give us an analysis of that cloud Fuuka-san!" Aigis shouted.

"I can't see anything! It's almost as if it's not there!"

"Let's see if we can blow it away! Susano-O!" Yosuke yelled as his Persona appeared. A torrent surged at the cloud but it wasn't being affected in the slightest. "Does anyone have any good ideas!? Because that did jack all!"

"Just brace yourself! If it's a special attack then at least we'll be ready for it!" Yu shouted. Everyone threw their guard's up as each and every single one of them disappeared into the cloud and silence took hold over the battlefield.

 **Our Darkest Hour…**

Labrys looked around to only see a spotlight being casted down onto her, only illuminating a short distance around her. She scratched her head and began trying to make contact with any of her friends, but to no avail, there was no signal.

"Hmmm… What the hell did-!?" Labrys began before dodging a sudden sword strike. Arming herself with her axe, she spun around to face her opponent, completely ready to thrash… Huh? Before her, there was another robot girl, one that bore a similar face with the same red. Her hair was more greyish compared to Labrys' and tied into a loose bun, the girl's limbs and joints were all clearly robotic and colored black. Each of these details brought Labrys into a state of shock and horror, causing her to drop her weapon after realizing just who was in front of her.

"No… Why…?"

"Draw your weapon…" The girl said emotionlessly.

"I can't…" Labrys croaked out.

"If you don't fight, you'll lose. I will end up destroying you. Are you willing to accept that?"

"Why…? Why are you saying this stuff!?"

The girl didn't answer, instead she raises her multi-use great sword and is poised to strike.

"If you fear being destroyed… If you have a heart capable of fear, then there's no need to hesitate. That alone gives you the right to attack me with all your strength."

"But doesn't the same go for you!?"

She doesn't answer but a small smile began forming on her lips.

"You said that there was someone you wanted to meet! I can't fight you knowing that…!" Labrys turned to a glass pane that had scientists behind it, they were watching the two with keen but distant eyes.

"Come on, stop this! I don't want to fight anymore…!" Labrys began thrashing against the glass, but it wouldn't budge nor crack against her fury. The scientists didn't react either, almost as if they were the machines and not Labrys. Her pleas and cries only fell on deaf ears as they continued to watch.

"Only one of us can exit this chamber." The girl said weakly. Labrys couldn't respond to that statement.

"They never told you, since you were strong enough that battles never lasted very long… But that's the rule of this place. The only time the door leading beyond that transparent wall opens is when one of us is considered unable to fight. From the start, this whole setup never took our feelings into account." Again, Labrys couldn't say anything.

"But talking like this is a waste of time… I can see I won't spur you into fighting with just words alone." The girl said. She then leapt into the air and swung at Labrys, who only barely dodged the sudden strike. Finally realty began sinking into Labrys, she kicked her axe into her hands and leapt back.

"I don't intend to meekly accept my destruction. I… Have my own goal, after all. Now… Fight me!" The girl said harshly. While accepting the inevitability of fighting, a thought crossed Labrys' mind and her eyes were determined as if betting on the possibility of her idea. Labrys readies her battle stance, with her weapon ready to strike. Despite the deceptively fast swings of the great sword, Labrys was able to precisely place her own swings that it began destroying her foe's weapon. And eventually, it broke apart and allowed Labrys to disable her foe's limbs with well-placed attacks, causing the girl to collapse onto the ground. Labrys turned to the scientists…

"Isn't this enough…? She had that 'ego' thing way before me. Destroying her won't do anyone any good. Come on! Have a heart…!" She said pleadingly. This was only met with laughter, one where something has exceeded expectations. That was when the disabled robot girl began convulsing, the noise of damaged motors resonated throughout as Labrys witnessed her opponent rise up sloppily off the ground.

"Huh? What the…?" The amount of noise her body was making signaled Labrys that her opponent's body was suffering an unreasonable amount of stress on her body. But despite that, the girl's face was devoid of any emotion, like that of a doll's.

"What did you do to her!?" Labrys shouted.

"It'll be coming at you with everything it has now. You'd better not hold back either. #024 had an excellent record against others of its model. Even you might have a hard time beating this one, Labrys." One scientist plainly stated. The despair only grew on Labrys' face when she had realized that there was nothing she could do to save her opponent from destruction. The only thing she could do was to end the fight…

The animated shell began limping towards Labrys, her body still making harsh noises. Labrys turned to face the body of her former friend and walked towards her, mind clear of any tactics or strategy. She grabbed #024's neck and raised her off the ground. Labrys could feel her eyes getting bleary as something rolled down her cheek and dripped off her chin…

…

Zen looked around and found himself standing in the midst of darkness with a lone spotlight on him. He couldn't sense anything beyond the shadows, not Rei or Eris or anyone for that matter. It's almost as if he was alone in the world… He began collecting his thoughts and began an incantation but was interrupted by something tugging at his cape. And when he turned around… He saw a familiar girl…

She was a head shorter than him but her blonde hair was long enough to nearly touch the floor. She was wearing some green patient's scrubs and wore soft sandals on her feet. But what really haunted him was the green and lost eyes that were looking at him.

"… Who're you?" the girl asked.

"I'm…" He couldn't answer, almost as if the words were being robbed from his throat. All he could do was turn away.

"Huh? My name… What was it?"

"…"

"My name…" The girl mumbled as she looked towards the ground, sadness clouding her eyes.

"Your name is… Niko…" He answered, forcing the words out.

"Niko…?" She looked up in curiosity.

"No… Let's say it's something else. Something… You'd like more…"

"What's wrong? You're trembling. Are you scared?"

"Scared…?" He asked almost confused at the word.

"Don't worry, I'm here with you. You're not alone."

"…Yes. I… Will ensure that you are also not alone… Always."

"… You can call me Zhn."

"Zin?"

"It means, 'one who lives with you'…"

"Zin… How do you write that?"

"Write?" The confusion only deepened for him.

"Um… I'll make it 'Zen'. That means 'nice'! Because you're a good person!"

"A good person…" He couldn't look at her, not with what he knows.

"Zen… Do you not like it?"

"It will do… Thank you. You're name… Is Philei."

"Fi…Lay?"

"Philei."

"Feelay… It's hard."

"Philei."

"Hi – Philei… Oh, I said it! Phi… Fi… Rei… Is 'Rei' okay!? So we're Zen and Rei. Heehee… It's nice to meet you, Zen!" She was excited and let out a small giggle but he felt ashamed.

"Yes…" Was all he said before he felt something coming from his eyes, he has no knowledge of what it was but they burned hotter than any flame.

"Zen? What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere? Please don't cry…" She sounded worried for him… Worried for her tormenter…

"I'm so sorry… Rei…"

…

Rei's eyes slowly opened, she felt her body laying against a hard and rough surface that was very uncomfortable. She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to get the exhausted blur that blocked most of her vision. Where was she anyway?

"I'd thought you'd be the first one up… I mean you did go through this spell before…"

Rei's eyes grew in size, now she remembered where she was… She and her friends were several thousand feet in the air fighting a Goddess who was crazy, powerful, and crazy powerful. She immediately saw Eris sitting on a rock floating above her, the black hoplite armor clad her body once more. "First one? What are you talking about?" Rei asked.

"Look around, you're friends are off in dream land."

Rei looked and saw everyone hunched over on the ground, their eyes weren't closed but were empty and dazed, almost as if they were in a coma. "What did you do to them!?"

"Oh you know… The same thing I did to you several chapters back with the tea party."

"Why are you doing that!? No one wants to remember all the bad things that happened to them!"

"I'm the Goddess of Strife and Conflict! I can, and will, rip open old wounds if it benefits me in some way! And boy do you all have some interesting memories! I mean, they were all so sad and depressing but also super horrific! No wonder you guys were so traumatized by it!"

"You're still not answering me! Why!?"

"Well because I can dishearten them so they can't go full force on me. But I also did it so I can spend some more quality time with you. I'll have some fun by toying around with you before the next shmuck wakes up and I do the same thing to them. Except that you will be dead before you can see something like that."

"And you think I'm just going to sit and do nothing while you break me!? No! I'm going to fight you with everything I have!"

"Then you'll need this…" Eris said as she tossed Rei a three foot pole. "Now come on… Show me what you're made of."

Rei held the stick firmly in both hands and charged at her, only to be find herself on her back with Eris staff at her throat. "Come on, you can do better than that." Eris taunted as she kicked the girl back onto her feet. Rei this time cautiously walked forward and quickly made a swing at her side… Which Eris easily blocked and countered with a strike to the side of Rei's head followed by a strike to the other side of her head, knocking her to the ground again.

"Rise-chan… Fuuka-chan… Help me…"

"Sorry dear, but I also put those two under my spell. They won't be supporting you anytime soon, now get up!" Eris said coldly as she forced Rei to stand. Rei put up her guard and tried concentrating, in an effort to summon her Persona. The little fairy did appear after a few seconds, but Eris punted the Persona out of the way and hit Rei's face with the base of her staff much like a pool cue to a cue ball, causing the Persona to disappear.

"You can't do that either girl. You may be able to summon your inner self without help, but it won't be able to stay out for long if your concentration is broken. You're going to need one of those guns to keep it out any longer than three seconds."

"Then the nearest one… Would be Yuki-chan's…" Rei thought while getting up, looking around as she wiped the blood coming from her nose.

"That's only if you can get close to her… But I doubt you have the power to get away from me. So let's continue with this little duel. Come on, I'll give you a free hit…"

Rei raised her stick again… And quickly ran in the opposite direction, hopping from rock to rock towards the one with Yukiko on it. But the moment she was on the rock, a bolt of lightning came down on her and began electrocuting her. Rei collapsed onto the ground, her muscles still twitching from the attack she somehow survived and remained conscious through.

"Wow, the strength Chronos is giving you is much more than I thought. Usually a lot of people pass out or straight up die from that. You should really thank him for that… Though I also have to thank him for providing me a beautiful chew toy to toss around."

Rei didn't respond, instead she was slowly crawling towards the still catatonic Yukiko, fully concentrated on reaching her Evoker.

A massive chill covered her body, the frost felt like they went deep into Rei's bones, she could even see her own breath. "Hey, it's rude to ignore people…" Eris scolded. Rei continued to crawl towards her friend, slowly making progress as Eris watched in annoyance and anger. The Goddess threw her staff into the air and it came down on top of Rei as a fist composed of golden light. Rei could feel its crushing weight smash her into the ground, she could barely see any further than a few inches in front of her and she could taste the blood that she was vomiting. But despite this, she continued to crawl towards Yukiko and began to weakly reach for her holster.

Eris sighed and walked over, kicked her staff into her hands and looked down at Rei, still reaching for the evoker. Eris put her foot down Rei's arm, pinning it to the ground but she still felt a weak resistance from the girl. "You were really fun a few minutes ago… Now you're just a shuffling corpse… I hope you have fun wherever you reincarnate." Eris said with disappointment as she raised her staff over Rei's head.

She felt a presence behind her and immediately looked, it was Rei's little Persona looking very pouty. "Oh look, you managed to summon it even after the thrashing I gave you, congrats! And she's looking very adorable with that little pout on her face. But I don't have time for you, scram!" Eris commented before swinging her staff. But the moment it came into contact with the fairy, the Goddess found herself flying far into the opposite direction before landing on a stray rock.

"Owwwww… Was that…? Was that Tetrakarn!? Well aren't you full of surprises little girl!? Well it doesn't matter since it is only delaying the inevitable. Now I'll just take my sweet time to…"

The sound of breaking glass interrupted her and she looked to see that Rei had the evoker in her hand and pressed against her temple. The tiny fairy appeared over the battered and bloody girl and her hands were glowing a golden color. "Samsara…"

A golden seal was drawn underneath Eris as walls of glowing scriptures surrounded her, but she didn't seemed all too concern. "Seriously!? An instant kill!? That won't work on me! You must be so delirious that- HRK!?" Eris laughed before she began choking the moment the seal was finished. A horrible pain was radiating off of every inch of her body and Eris didn't know why it was hurting so much. "The Hell's going on!? Everything's hurting like I'm giving birth!" Eris shouted, still unable to move from the pain.

Rei placed the Evoker to her head again and pulled the trigger, the fairy in blue appeared once more and awaited its orders. "Alice… Salvation…" Rei said weakly. A golden light radiated over the battlefield, covering all but Eris in a soft glow though Rei was still looking very injured. "Looks like I have to retreat back into my husk…" Eris sighed as she floated back to the unmoving abomination. But before Eris fully immersed herself into the husk, she heard Rei say something to her.

"Going so soon…? You could… Answer one thing… For me…"

"… Fine, you look like you're about to pass out any second now. What is your dumb question girl?"

"Will… Will you… At least… Die for me?"

Something landed onto the metal half of Eris' head, piercing right through and began flooding her body with sinister energy. Before she could react to the object, several more began landing onto her body, piercing both metal and hardened bark, and continued to pour sinister magic into her. When it stopped, Eris could barely move her hulking body as if it had grown sick and refused to act. "What did you do to me!? I feel like I'm plagued with a billion different diseases right now!"

"I… Gave us a… Fighting chance… I think… I'll just… Take a short nap… Here…" Rei replied before the exhaustion and pain lulled her to sleep.

"You…! I like you a lot before… But I think I'll stop with the sentiments and JUST KILL YOU!" Eris screamed as she swung her arm towards the girl. Her arm stopped completely short of its intended target, the consequence of it being wrapped in glowing red string. "And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse…"

Eris was pulled to turn around but before she could see what she will be facing, everything went black immediately after a terrific pain occurred over her eyes. Something heavy then landed onto her face before kicking off both quickly and furiously, whatever or whoever it was, they were angry.

"Ariadne! Binding of Prometheus! Make sure this Bitch isn't going anywhere!" Labrys shouted before landing on a rock. The Persona's string began encircling the blind Goddess as it changed colors and the moment it turned white, a flash of light enveloped her and left her bound in chains. "Don't think that I still can't annoy you with my fab-!" Eris began before being drowned out by the myriad of spells making contact with her body.

"What was that!? You have to speak up! I can't hear you over all this awesome we're throwing out!" Yosuke replied with a satisfied laugh. Koromaru howled in agreement.

"Yeah! Keep hitting her with everything you got! Don't let her use anything!" Rise cheered.

"Can someone check on Rei-chan!? She's unconscious and very weak right now! Yukiko-chan is having trouble healing her!" Fuuka cried.

"I'm on it!" Ken shouted as he hopped over to Rei.

"I'll come too!" Teddie said, following him.

"As will I!" Aigis replied.

"Do you really need…? No, stupid question. I'm heading over there too!" Yukari replied.

Zen and Labrys landed onto the rock and saw Yukiko cradling the battered girl, causing the two to rush over immediately. "How's Rei's condition!?" Zen asked. "She's breathing but it's very faint. I couldn't bring her back with my power alone for some reason, so all I could do is keep her condition from getting any worse." Yukiko answered.

"But you're a great healer! How hurt is Mom if you can't patch her up!?" Labrys asked, an uneasiness resting in her voice.

"That's why we're here! If one of us can't do it alone, we'll do it together!" Ken replied as he took out his evoker. "Let's give Rei-chan the resuscitation special!" Teddie yelled. "Athena is ready to be called." Aigis added. "Come on, let's get Rei-chan a warm wakeup call after she helped us!" Yukari said. "I'm ready, she deserves something in return!" Yukiko agreed.

"Samarecarm!" The five yelled out. Their Personas emerged and bathed Rei and a bright glow, removing all of her injuries and pains. But despite the strength of the spell, Rei was still not regaining consciousness. "Huh!? That should've worked!" Teddie shouted in surprise.

"She's stable now! I don't know why she's not waking up, but you don't have to worry about her anymore! Let's just kick the Psycho bitch's ass for Rei-chan!" Rise yelled.

"We'll look after Mom, you guys just get in there and give Ms. High and Mighty a reason not to mess with us." Labrys said. The four nodded and leapt back into battle, Yukiko handed Rei over to Zen before joining the battle herself. "This is twice that Mom had to save us… And what do we have to show for it?" Labrys asked in disappointment.

"I know… But now we have another chance to defeat Eris before she is able to use anymore of her tricks. Before any of us awoken from our slumber, Rei had placed some kind of affliction on Eris and made her weak. If we press that advantage, then victory will surely follow close behind."

"Then let's see what number Mom did on the Ms. Psychotic, hey Rise? What's up with the Goddess?"

"Nothing that I've ever seen before… She has two different things pinned on her, at peace and breaking down. The first is making her attacks weaker and is able to make dark skills hurt her. The other one made her defense go down and is able to make light skills hurt her. And the two of them together is slowly draining her health, like it's some kind of poison to her."

"So she's exposed to dark and light now? Did Noato, Ken, and Koro-chan get word of this?"

"They are now."

"Was there anything else Rei did while we were asleep?" Zen asked.

"Well there is that blessed status you all have after she used Salvation, though I still don't know what it does." Fuuka replied.

 **MIRACLE PULSE!**

A force knocked down several of the Shadow Operatives while others stood their ground, though all Personas were unsummoned by the resulting blast. The chains that once bound Eris were disappearing and a mysterious aura was radiating off of her grotesque body. "THAT'S IT! I'M ONE HUNDRED PERCENT DONE WITH THIS SHIT! I'M GOING TO END IT SO HORRIBLY THAT YOU'LL WISH YOU NEVER GOT OUT OF BED THIS MORNING!" Eris shouted as an orb of light began growing extraordinarily quickly from her core, inverting all colors to all those gazing at it. No one could react before the light reached them, plunging them into a negative world.

 **WHEN THINGS FALL APART!**

The orb crumbled as Eris began laughing manically, her maddening shriek ripped through the air. "YES! FALL CHILDREN OF MAN! FALL TO YOUR INNER CHAOS! FALL TO THE ENDLESS STRIFE OF THE WORLD! FALL TO MY POWER! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Uhhhh… What exactly was that supposed to do?"

Eris stopped and looked only to see the Shadow Operatives completely intact. They weren't raving mad or horribly suicidal, all of them were still sane and ready to fight. "Why aren't you guys running around like chickens without heads? Or diving head first into the abyss below? What is your secret?"

"We're… Not sure…" Yu answered.

"So that's what it does!" Rise yelled out.

"What does what now?" Junpei asked.

"You know that status Rei-chan gave us when she used salvation? It turns out that being blessed prevents us from contracting negative status effects! So that last move really did do nothing because it was meant to give us something but couldn't!" Fuuka explained. This explanation, at first, caused some silence… Then the Shadow Operatives slowly began smirking at Eris while the Goddess was having a metal breakdown.

"No no no No No No NO NO NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! IT'S A TRICK! A FLUKE! JUST SOME LUCKY CHANCE! **WRAITH OF ACHILLES!** " A wave of red surrounded her opposition as she fully expects that at least one of them would fly into a rage, but none did.

" **MIDAS' CURSE!** " A deluge of molten gold washed over the party, but none were turned into solid gold sculptures after the flow passed.

" **HEX OF CIRCE!** "

" **TOXIN OF NESSUS!** "

" **SOMETHING OF SOMEONE!** "

But alas, every last one of those attacks did absolutely nothing to the Shadow Operatives, allowing them to unleash everything they got while they were still protected. "Let's go for an All Out Attack!" Yu shouted. "Finally! I've been waiting for this!" Akihiko shouted. One by one the Rocks began lining up towards Eris, despite her best attempts to swat the stones away.

"No! You stay away from me! Wraith of Zeus!" Eris shouted. Lightning began raining down upon the Shadow Operatives but they were able to evade each and every single one of the bolts as if it was nothing. And when they were in range, the Shadow Operatives began pummeling Eris in a giant clouded ball of violence where no one could tell what's going on.

" **MIRACLE-!** "

"This looks important!" Junpei yelled as he jammed his sword into Eris' throat, muting her.

"So does this!" Kanji shouted, bashing at one of the metal pipes within Eris' metal arm, causing it to go limp.

"Take great care everyone! Koromaru-san is inside her chest cavity and is beginning an assault from within!" Aigis warned.

"Wow! Talk about a real heart attack!" Teddie commented before cutting at some exposed muscle.

"You think we could eat this stuff?" Chie asked as she ripped out some muscle tissue.

"You want to eat it!?" Yosuke shouted.

"I don't know… Hey Shinji! Think you can cook some of this!?" Akihiko asked.

"Not you too!"

"I'm not frying some suspicious ass meat from a flying Goddess creature, go do it yourself." Shijiro replied, bashing in some more metal rods within the Goddess' arm.

"Should we try opening the skull!? We could find her inside!" Minato shouted.

"Don't bother! Every time she enters this abomination, she becomes it completely! But I would be careful though, you may never know what she could pull next since she could leave at any time!" Zen shouted.

"Then why hasn't she left yet!? You think she doesn't want to be in the middle of all of this!?" Labrys asked, gesturing towards the violence all around them

"If I was going to be beaten up by twenty something people, I would just stay where I am!" Yukari answered before firing several arrows into some exposed flesh from under the metal.

"I don't think that would be any help to her since we're harming her anyway. GRENADE OUT!" Naoto stated before firing off an explosive shell. The others took cover as the small projectile entered a hole in Eris' head and promptly exploded, sending pieces of metal, plant matter, and blood flying in several directions.

"Is everyone alright!? That blast was more powerful than expected!" Naoto asked.

"You're all good! Just keep wailing on her!" Rise cheered.

"I think I hit something I wasn't supposed to!" Ken shouted, stopping his attack.

"I'm not sensing that you hit Koro-chan or anything harmful Ken-kun! So please keep doing what you're doing!" Fuuka replied, causing the man to drive his spear deeper into the soft sickly tissue. Koromaru emerged from within and let out a happy yip, his tail wagging in excitement.

"It seems Koromaru-san has successfully planted the explosives." Aigis said.

"Explosives!? What kind!?" Mitsuru asked. Koromaru responded with a bark, causing Labrys to twitch in surprise.

"5 kilos of C4!? Why did you give him that much sis!? He could have blown himself up!"

"Because I have that much faith in Koromaru-san. And that I have the detonator built within me, meaning I wouldn't have detonated unless I know it's safe."

"Then let's stand back and watch the fire works!" Yu shouted as he began running away.

The others began fleeing from the Goddess horribly damaged body, the rocks surrounding Eris did the same. And once they were behind a wall of thick ice made by Mitsuru, Aigis triggered the explosives and the Goddess went up in the blast. "You think that got her?" Labrys asked.

"You know, not to be the wet blanket, but she did survive every other thing we threw at her." Yosuke replied.

"Oh come on Yosuke! Where's your faith!? We practically tore her a new one!" Chie replied.

"That you did…"

The smoke began clearing and the levitating form of Eris could be seen hovering over her destroyed husk. But instead of being the energy filled sadist she was, Eris was exhausted and looked like she will collapse at any moment.

"I heard one of you asking why I couldn't leave this shell of mine… Do you want to know why?"

"Because you'll be thrashed the moment you do?" Junpei replied.

"As if that would happen, I would've killed at least half of you before the rest could put up a fight. No, that's not why. It's not that I didn't leave, it's that I couldn't. That girl over there trapped me in my own skin and allowed you all to rip me to shreds." Eris answered, pointing at the still unconscious Rei.

"Then she did well. Are you ready to give up now Eris? You can't fight us all in that condition." Zen replied.

"As much as I want to use my last ace… I don't feel like fighting anymore…"

Eris floated to the platform and landed in front of Shadow Operatives, whom were still on their guard. Eris threw her staff to the ground and it transformed into a gold scaled snake, which promptly slithered away somewhere. "There, happy?" The Goddess asked. Each of them lowered their weapons as well, with the exception of Zen and Labrys as they continued to be on guard.

"Just like that? Sorry, but I don't do well with bait and switches." Labrys replied.

"You aren't known for giving up, so why now Eris?" Zen asked.

"Let's just say the thousands of words that were deleted from the draft chapter told me how things will turn out. There's just no point in wasting time with a long drawn out battle that you'll just win anyway. You won, there is no changing that no matter how hard I annoy the hands of fate."

"What the hell are you going about?" Akihiko asked, sharing a confused look with everyone else. Koromaru just gave a hesitant bark, which Aigis gladly translated for everyone else.

"Koromaru-san said something about 'The Meta' but he's not entirely sure."

"Now what does THAT mean!?" Chie asked, even more confusion plaguing the Operatives.

"It means you won! So accept it or I'll just use my trump card anyway!" Eris shouted in annoyance.

"There is no need for that! We accept your surrender!" Mitsuru said frantically.

"Did we just get forced to accept a surrender by the enemy?" Ken asked, realizing the situation they're in.

"Yeah… We had to do things on her terms instead of ours…" Yu groaned.

"Are you kidding me!? Even if we won we still lost!?" Junpei shouted.

"Yes! My plan worked!" Eris laughed.

Zen and Labrys continued to observe the rather light hearted banter the Strife Goddess were now having with their friends. And while it was unsettling, any tension with the woman from the battle they fought completely vanished. They lowered their weapons as they could finally see the light at the end of this long tunnel…

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 25! After a good few months, this story has almost reached it's conclusion.  
**

 **I can't particularly think of anything witty to put here so I'll just leave the usual nonsense.**

 **Please leave any questions, comments and concerns in the review place, they're worth all the gold.**

 **So...**

 **Until next time. T1.**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Is he gone?**

 **He is! Yes! What's up assholes! Guess who's back!? This hot bitch!**

 **And man, did I get fucked up. In any other situation I wouldn't have minded being at the epicenter of all that bad touch.**

 **But alas, it was a brawl that I had to lose.**

 **Speaking of which, this fight sequence would have gone on for another chapter. I wasn't kidding around when I said there were about a few thousand words that were deleted during the editing phase. I mean, the writer man knew this battle would end the same way so why waste time drawing things out?**

 **So to spare us of the cruelty of boring shit, he just let me end it then and there, plain and simple.**

 **But now I leave you to your toys and boys as I head off to prepare for another vacation!**

 **Sayonara!**


	26. Chapter 26: Peace At Last

**I don't o-**

 **Dude they heard you say that a billion times already, quit it.**

 **It's a custom. And don't you have a story to be in?**

 **I have five seconds.**

 **Out...  
**

 **Kill joy...**

 **Warning, may contain moments of OOC.**

* * *

"Okay, my first action as Eris the Benign shall be closing this vortex and banishing the ghosts and goblins that I attracted." Eris announced in a passionate tone. And with a snap from her fingers, the various monsters that surrounded the caverns and plagued the skies vanished with the receding violet clouds. The once obscured sky was now displaying its brilliant blue that stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. And the sun was rather grossly incandescent today, radiating its warm rays and invigorating the battle weary team.

"Good news guys, the lady lived up to her words! There isn't any more Shadows, Grimm, or Demons in the area!" Rise said happily.

"The caverns below also returned to normal! Good job everyone!" Fuuka added.

"Next, I shall never commit any more nefariously evil dooms day plots that would involve this planet ever again! No matter how hard someone tries to bribe me!"

"That's good, Sanctuary won't have one more malevolent force working against us in the future." Mitsuru commented.

"Third, I will try not to kidnap and emotionally torture people for my amusement."

"Try?" Naoto asked with annoyance.

"If that's the best we're getting out of her then that's good enough for me." Kanji replied.

"And finally, I will always give the best snuggles to all pets and strays."

"Hold on, what does that last one has to do with any of this?" Yosuke asked. Koromaru responded with a happy bark that was promptly translated by Labrys.

"He isn't sure what that means but she has his approval. Really Koro-chan?"

"I think that about covers it. Anything else Chronos?" Eris asked turning to Zen.

"I want you to apologize to Rei."

"She's kind of unconscious dude. So anything I say will be for nothing."

Zen didn't say anything, he simply glared at Eris. "Fine…" Eris groaned.

"Listen girl, you may be knocked the fuck out but you're boyfriend wants me to say sorry. So I'm so earnestly sorry that I dragged your ass through an emotional blender. And I'm sorry that I kind of beat your ass into the ground, I might have gone a bit far. So if you're cool then I'm cool. That good enough?"

"Coming from you, that's adequate."

"Then I guess I have nothing left to say here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to do my own thing. Nothing apocalyptic that involves Sanctuary though, I swear. So I bid you all farewell for now and I hope we meet again one day." Eris said as she bowed.

"Yeah, like that would happen…" Yukari mumbled.

"So I say Adios to you! As my planet needs me now!" Eris shouted. Metal plates began to form around Eris's body and limbs, completely encasing her in a suit of shiny black power armor. The helmet closet with an audible clang and she flew off into the sky, disappearing into blue above them. The Shadow Operatives only watched in disbelief at the spectacle that just occurred in front of them.

"… There's never a dull moment with her is there?" Yukiko asked.

"Not in the slightest…" Zen replied tiredly.

"Mnnn…" Rei groaned, bringing everyone's attention to the girl.

"Rei!" "Mom!"

"Please don't yell… My brain feels like jelly right now…" Rei said as she clutched her head.

"I wouldn't be surprised, the first time summoning your Persona isn't easy and you practically went over your limit with those moves." Minato replied.

"I'm more surprised that she regained consciousness so soon. Was it because Zen was sharing his strength with her?" Mitsuru asked with interest.

"That's the power of love for you!" Teddie shouted.

"What happened to that lady anyway? Did you win?" Rei asked, now rubbing her noggin.

"Well seeing that she isn't around and we're still here…" Labrys answered.

"That's a relief… I just wish I could've fought with you guys to the end…"

"Don't worry about something like that, you did more than enough. In fact, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here talking about it." Yu replied.

"Then I guess that's fine… So what now?"

"Simple, we go home. All of us, together." Minato said, gesturing to everyone.

"…"

"Rei-chan?" Yukari asked. Tears began falling from Rei's eyes, startling the all of the others.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to do that…"

"Then let's not go back with tears in our eyes but with smiles on our faces." Yukiko said.

"Yukiko's right Mom, let's go home smiling." Labrys agreed.

"I know what would do the trick! Group hug everyone!" Teddie shouted before he quickly trotted over to Rei as some of the others began doing the same.

"Thanks guys… I'm really glad I found you guys…" Rei thanked, trying to return the hug.

"Awww… I really wish I was there to join you guys…" Rise commented. A brief rumble could be heard, it wasn't loud but just enough to draw their attention.

"Uh guys… The island you're on…" Fuuka began before the Shadow Operatives felt the world around them become weightless, the wind started to pick up as well and sent some into a tumble.

"I forgot we were in the air!" Ken shouted.

"WHAT!?" Kanji yelled.

"We have a few in a tumble! Sister!" Aigis yelled.

Labrys couldn't hear her sister call out to her, but had a feeling someone wanted to do something about her free falling friends. "Ariadne! Bring us together!" She yelled as her Persona appeared. The red thread darted out and wrapped around each and every last person, drawing everyone into a circle. Each one immediately grabbed the hands of the person next to them, allowing them to fall together at the same speed.

"What do we do now!?" Yu shouted.

"I CAN'T HEAR SHIT!"

"Fuuka! We need to communicate!" Minato yelled.

"Zen and Labrys has an idea! You need to use your Persona's to create points to form a net!"

"A net!?" Akihiko asked.

"It's better than nothing! Yamagishi! I want you and Kujikawa to calculate the deployment time! I want everyone else to be ready!" Mitsuru ordered.

"WHAT! I CAN'T HEAR ANYTING! WHAT DO YOU – OH WAIT…! NEVERMIND! GOT IT!"

The group continued their rapid descent, hands poised to grab their evokers once the signal was made. Rei, who was between Labrys and Zen, squeezed their hands and closed her eyes, a prayer playing through her mind and whispers escaped her lips. Zen couldn't hear her over the screaming winds around him, but he too began to pray as the ground started to come closer and closer.

"Now!" Rise yelled.

"PERSONA!"

…

…

…

…

…

Rei opened her eyes and saw the sky above her, there were no clouds blocking the vast blue. Did they make it? Or did they die again and were reborn elsewhere?

"HAHA! I WORKED! SUCK ON THAT CRAZY LADY!"

Was that Kanji?

"I can't believe we actually made it! It's finally over!"

"God damn yes! Can we not come into work today!? I don't feel like working after all of this!"

"Teddie seconds that motion!"

"I feel like I gained a few years…"

"You and me both…"

Rei sat up and felt a net underneath her, she looked around and saw the Personas holding parts of the red woven net that they were all in. She noticed that the others were slowly climbing their way off of the net while a few were lounging around on it. There were also a several military looking people running about with medical kits and other kinds of boxes. Fuuka and Rise were also around and excitedly talking with everyone.

"Mom? Are you okay?"

Rei turned and saw Labrys and Zen standing on the ground next to her. "I'm good… Are we not dead?"

"Technically we are already dead but if you mean we survived the fall, then yes, we're not dead." Zen replied. Rei let out a sigh of relief and fell back onto the net, the day's fatigue coming back to her full force.

"What a day… I just want to fall asleep here and not wake up until tomorrow…"

"There are better places for that Mom. Besides, we would all like our Personas back."

"Yeah, I guess you do… Ummm, do you want to hang out later? I kind of want to learn more about the daughter I never knew." Rei asked as she got off of the net.

"I would like to, but I have to do an After Action Report on this whole thing and that could take a several hours to do. There's a bunch of annoying formalities I have to jump through. But if I have an excuse to get away from that, I would use it in a heartbeat."

 **Then you'll be getting one right now!**

That voice nearly caused everyone to jump in surprise and draw their weapons towards the owner of the voice. Rei found herself between Labrys and Zen, both ready to protect her from the very person that caused them so many problems. Dressed in form fitting jeans, running shoes, and a colorful tank top, Eris floated in the air at eye level and was posed similarly to 'draw me like one of your French girls'.

"What up Fam!? The hottest bitch is back in town!" Eris cheerfully said.

"Why are you here!? I thought you left!?" Labrys shouted.

"I did, but I came back."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't be involve with this world anymore?" Zen asked.

"I didn't say that. I said I wouldn't involve this planet in a nefariously evil dooms day plot, I didn't say I wouldn't be involved with this world Period. Seriously, go back up there, I never said anything like that." Eris was then gesturing upwards, though the way she was doing it indicated that it wasn't towards the sky.

"That still doesn't tell us why you're here." Mitsuru asked, a drop of sweat rolling down her neck.

"Remember back in Chapter 23 I mentioned having a bucket list? Yeah, I want to cross those off before leaving this place for good. Well I had to modify it because I couldn't torture people anymore but I still get to go on my date! And have shoplifts to mall!"

"Then why are you here bothering us instead of going to see the world?" Shinjro asked.

"I need tour guides. You think I know where to start with this place?"

…

"No! Not happening! We're not about to baby sit an all-powerful Psycho!" Rise shouted.

"There are more qualified people in the Kingdoms for something like that, so I'm not sure why you need us…" Ken replied as Koromaru just barked in agreement.

"Do you really trust me enough to interact with normal people?"

No one said anything and any retort they may have just died in their throats. "I didn't think so." Eris said with a smug smile.

"Fuck you!" Yosuke cursed.

"Love you too."

"Is this revenge for defeating you? Because that is extremely petty to do so." Aigis commented.

"Please, I'm practically the Queen of Pettiness, I started a war over not being invited to a wedding remember?"

"God damn it… Then could you at least tell us how long you're staying? And you better not say forever." Labrys asked.

"I won't say that, I may be the Queen of Pettiness, but I'm not that much of a dick. No, I'm going to stay here for two weeks, a whole fourteen days of sightseeing…"

"That's pretty manageable, we could begin planning a schedule and start tomorrow." Yu replied.

"Starting today."

"Come again?"

"As of a few minutes ago, I have exactly fourteen days until I have to return to the plane of unconsciousness. So I would really like you to show me around this place right now."

"We're exhausted! You really expect us to lead you around like this! At least give us some time to sleep first!" Junpei shouted.

"Then I guess I'll find some other poor sap to be guide for the day. So please, rest up all you want, I'll just be somewhere annoying the shit out of some random civie while causing problems for EVERYBODY. Non-maliciously of course." Eris said mockingly, eyebrows wriggling rapidly. Again, any argument they might have had against the Goddess died and were placed in an early grave. Rei could tell that these next fourteen days is going to be the longest two weeks they will ever experience. Labrys felt her blood pressure go up despite not having a beating heart or real blood that would allow something like that to happen. Zen simply shook his head at the Strife Goddess' antics, fully acknowledging that she has them right where she wanted them to be.

"… I guess there's no rest for the wicked…" Akihiko said in defeat.

"Let me repeat myself… FUCK YOU!"

* * *

 **And that is Chapter 26!  
**

 **One more chapter everyone, so hold on just a little longer.**

 **Not really much to say this week either except for the usual nonsense.**

 **They get it man, no need to keep beating this dead horse and dragging it on forever.**

 **Are you just going to keep intruding in on my author's notes? Don't you have anything better to do?**

 **Until you put me in another story, I'll be your AN co-star!**

 **How about no? Do you really have nothing better to do except bother other people?**

 **But that's how all the best shit happens! And can't you just write me out creator man?**

 **Don't feel like it... Fine, you can stay. But don't go insulting the readers.**

 **YAY! Co-host Eris is on the scene!**

 **Hurray, I can already feel my sanity dying...**

 **Anyway, if there are any questions, comments, or concerns you may have with the story, message me or include it in your review.  
**

 **Yeah! Write that shit!**

 **Next week will be the last chapter, so please look forward to it.  
**

 **A heart-warm family monologue is in it!**

 **That is all I have for you this week.**

 **We.**

 **So...**

 **Until next time. T1.**

 **Chao chao~**


	27. Chapter 27: Today and Tomorrow

**You know the drill folks, no need to write the usual nonsense. Unless you want me to write something SEXY...  
**

 **Eris.**

 **Right, right, I'll keep it PG.  
**

 **Thank you. Warning, may contain OOC moments.**

* * *

Two weeks has passed since Eris appeared on Sanctuary and caused a ruckus the size of the Atlantic. And while she was defeated, her influence wasn't gone as she became the most annoying tourist the world has ever seen. The Shadow Operatives, whom was forced to play her games, had to take turns to watch over the insane Goddess starting with Minato and Aigis. They however found their energy quickly sapped as she pulled them into every which way possible, causing the others to come in to assist. And while it was a disaster for the most part, those fourteen days were something no one would be forgetting for a while. But alas, that is a story for another day… Right now, a new day dawns for a couple in the Capital…

"I really don't think all of this was necessary." Rei commented as she entered the room. Currently she was standing in the living/dining room of their new apartment, one that was in a nicer part of the Residential district.

"What part wasn't necessary?" Zen asked, carrying a box in.

"I don't know… Everything is just so big and different."

"That's just the feeling of moving into a new home Mom." Labrys replied walking in, two large boxes in her arms.

"But it's a HUGE step up from the rat's nest I'm used to! The floors are hardwood! The bathroom has actual space in it! A proper bedroom! Air conditioning! A fully decked out kitchen!"

"Not to mention a place for me to work on my devices without creating a mess of everything else."

"It wasn't easy finding an apartment like this open in the city that is close to the University. But I'm glad that my hours in searching was worth the time and effort, it's even within my pay range." Labrys said, putting down the boxes.

"That's another thing, I don't want you to pay for all of this by yourself, it makes me look bad."

"Mom, I told you to stop worrying about that. I just have piles of money just lying around from my old paychecks, so I might as well put it to good use."

"I still don't understand why you need to receive payment when Mitsuru and her staff seems to be covering all your needs." Zen commented, bringing in another box.

"Hey, even I have some personal things to take care of. Point is, I got you covered Mom. It's the least I could do after you did so much for me."

"Alright… But when I get my own income, I'm paying you back and I won't accept no for an answer."

"What if I don't want it?"

"Nope! I'm giving it to you whether you like it or not!"

"I don't think you have a say in the matter Labrys. Once Rei is set on something, she'll be sure to do it." Zen said, observing the two.

"If you insist Mom… Hm? Hold on, I got a call." Labrys said as she took out her phone. "It's Mitsuru-san."

"Then it's probably important. Me and Zen will take care of this, you go and save the world."

"Then I'll be off!" Labrys said as she left. Rei began unpacking some of the boxes that were brought in as Zen brought in some more. With Zen moving in and out of the room, it was difficult to sustain a conversation without having to shout and bother the neighbors. But it wasn't long before Zen brought in the last box and the two decided to take a break over some tea. Rei sat down on the new couch, one of the many furnishings that the others helped purchase, as Zen started to boil some water on the stove.

"This is so comfy… Where did they get something like this…?" Rei said with a mellow tone.

"Most of these are Junes' wares, so Yosuke probably has something to do with it." Zen answered, sitting next to Rei.

"Then we should thank him next time… Still, all of this really is a lot to take in…"

"I understand what you mean. Never have I thought we would be living in a place like this two weeks ago."

"I'm not just talking about this apartment Zen, the last two weeks have been life changing."

"Of course…" Zen said as he thought back. Since they appeared on this world, the couple didn't have the highest standard of living. They went through the wilds and simply traveled from place to place, picking up any odd jobs to help pay for the essentials. When they finally settled down in the Capital, taking up residence in the ratty hole in the wall that served as the most basic accommodations. The two then enrolled into the University of Sanctuary to further their limited education, fully intending on becoming productive people to the world.

All was going well until that fateful Saturday at the Outskirt Plaza Market where they met their leaders again.

"Our destiny changed when we found our leaders, leading us to this point. But I suppose it's Labrys that has the biggest impact on you."

"Yeah… I always thought that I died for nothing… That my life didn't mean anything… But when Labby-chan said that she was my daughter, I felt happy. Everything I ever wanted, she made it all come true just by being where I wasn't. I just wish I was there for her when she was scared or lost…"

"We can't take back the past Rei, so just be there for her now and every day after that."

"I know Zen. But she's a grown up now and I have no clue how to be a Mom."

"We'll figure that out together Rei." Zen said as he took Rei's hand. "For now, let's just be the best friends we could possibly be to her."

"Okay Zen… Thank you…" Rei thanked, placing her head on his shoulder. "Though I wish we could help her protect the world from all the nasty monsters crawling about…"

"Well I got good news for you Mom." Labrys said as she entered back into the apartment. Zen and Rei looked at here curiously, wondering just what news Labrys has that would warrant her to come back. "The call I got was from Mitsuru-san, but it was nothing dangerous. But she wanted me to take you two back to HQ for something special."

"And that is?" Rei asked, tilting her head.

"She wants to make you two official Shadow Operatives."

Rei's eyes grew wide as a grin began to form on her face, Zen could feel her excitement radiating from her body. "REALLY!? ZEN! ZEN! WE'RE GOING TO BE FIGHTING WITH EVERYONE AGAIN!"

"We're not exactly fighting anything yet Mom… You'll just be on wait until something does happen. Still, it'll be great to have you and the big guy on the team. And we all get to spend some more time together because I volunteered to show you the ropes of Persona summoning."

"You're going to be my teacher?"

"That's if you don't have a problem with that… I mean some of the others are probably better teachers than me, so you could ask them if you want…"

"No! No, it's fine. I would like it if you taught me."

"Couldn't we discuss this on the go? Isn't there some lengthy process both of us have to go through in order to certify our status?" Zen asked bluntly.

"… Shit! You're right! Let's get going before we spend the rest of today doing that!" Labrys said as she rushed out.

"And there she goes… I'll go after her, make sure everything is off and the door is closed." Zen said as he got up.

"I will Zen. Now go get my girl before she runs off too far without us."

Zen nodded as an incantation was heard escaping his lips as he left the apartment in a sprint. Rei got up from the comforts of the couch and turned off the stove, the water inside on the cusp of boiling. Before she walked out the door, Rei took a good last look at the new life she now has. And with a satisfied nod, she took the doorknob and closed the door behind her, locking it. Rei approached the elevator and entered when it arrived, making her descent to the first floor.

"God… I know I have given up on you… But after all this time, I want to say something… I'm sorry I doubted you.

I was nothing but a scared girl when I was alive, desperate to cling onto whatever could. And when I died… I thought you didn't think I was worth saving… That I don't have a place to belong in this world.

But everything is different now, I have somewhere to be and people to be with. Was this part of your plan? I don't know but I won't waste this chance you have given me, I'll do my best.

One more thing… For sending me the most caring man in the world and the perfect daughter I never knew… Thank you…

They changed my life and gave me a reason to live. Sure they're a bit rough around the edges, but who isn't? I really cannot thank those two enough for helping someone like me… I'm happy…

I'll make sure to treasure them with everything I got. So please, give me the strength to protect them just as they protected me."

Rei left the elevator and stepped into the entrance way of the apartment building. And there she saw Zen and Labrys waiting for her, both smiling as they noticed the girl. Rei returned the smile and took their hands, feeling the comforting warmth in their gentle grip.

And they walked… Towards whatever the future has for them… Together… As a Family.

* * *

 **And that was Chapter 27! Thus concluding Family That Never Was!**

 **Not bad writer man, though I'm not sure it's better because the lack of traffic...**

 **I kind of expected that since, what, chapter 2. I write what I want to write about, not what is popular.**

 **Then git gud son if you want all that FF gold.  
**

 **I'm working on it. Anyway, how was the story did you like it? Looking back, I could've done a several things better. Maybe toned down some of Zen's powers so that it's not so powerful. Or edited the story a bit to explain a few things before they made an appearance. But how did you feel about my story progression now that you've finished everything?**

 **I felt that you should've given me more screen time.  
**

 **Not your story.**

 **Then how about more screen time between the princess and her robot daughter girl? You just gave that time to Chronos and robot girl.  
**

 **Maybe I should've, this story was meant to be between them after all. But how do you, the audience, feel? What do you think I could've done differently in this fic?**

 **Still would like to see more fam stuff.**

 **I'll be including some moments between Rei and Labrys in the future, possible some during your fourteen days tormenting the Shadow Ops.**

 **Fantastic! Anyway, you should tell them about your devious plans after all of this.**

 **Not devious but you're right. After I finish updating everything I need to for this fic, I'll be opening up a topic in the Persona Series Forum. It will be within _Persona: Questions, Answers, And A Good Ol' Chat_ and I will be a dedicated place where people can talk about theories they may have about Persona. I'll be making the first theory post and it will be about the possibility of Rei being Labrys' mother. While I do completely believe it to be true, I wish to hear other people's thoughts on it. So look forward to that.  
**

 **What about your other fic? Skaia HS?**

 **I was getting to that. Skaia HS, my Homestuck fic, will be updated after I take a good break. So look forward to that if you came here from there.**

 **And... I think that's all there is for this week.**

 **Then I guess we'll end it here.**

 **Guess we should.**

 **So until next time. T1.**

 **Chao chao~**


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